Some of the key takeaways that caught my attention were:

Our vision of mentorship is often based on a patriarchal standard.

It shouldn’t have been so surprising, but I was genuinely taken aback by a reminder that our vision of what mentorship should be is based on the history of powerful men choosing a successor to whom they impart their knowledge in order to pass on their role as leader in an organization.

I’ve certainly fallen victim to this fallacy during certain points in my life resulting in me stating that “I’d never had a mentor.” I believed this simply because of the same patriarchal paradigm  -- believing that to be mentored meant having a high-level corporate leader take me under his or her wing to bring me up to the top. While that can certainly happen, it’s definitely not the only version of true mentorship.

Intercultural mentorship can provide special insights for minorities

While there are general forms of mentorship that are relevant to anyone climbing the ladder of success, there are always nuances to navigating the world around us based on the cultural context we were born to. 

Those who are 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation immigrant may find support in connecting with elders who can keep them in tune with their cultural roots while helping them navigate the business world here in the United States. That consistent support can help them to feel rooted in family tradition, connected to their ancestral culture, and accepted for who they are.

As an African American woman I can relate to having mentors in my life who understand the underlying challenges of being a racial minority. It’s not always easy to recognize how to respond to stereotypes, or to handle the discomfort of often being the only woman of color in a room. Mentors provide that support by advocating and showing that they understand.

It takes several kinds of mentors to help us achieve our goals

Many of the leaders on the panel discussed having mentors who approach advice from different angles -- creating a cabinet of sorts with experts who have diverse knowledge and are from specialty areas. As we grow in the different aspects of our lives, we might need to connect with a new type of person to draw from an expertise that is missing in our knowledge-base. 

As a mentee, it’s helpful to understand the areas where you need the most support, so you can communicate this to the leaders around you. When you’re clear on what you need the right mentor can raise his or her hand to fill in the blanks of your knowledge base. 

The role of mentorship is powerful and nuanced. Conversations such as these remind us of the impact we can make when we support others, and invite us as individuals to actively seek the advice of others who have knowledge to share. With our combined power, we can lift more women up to higher heights to gain greater power, wealth, and confidence in our futures.

I thank Deng-Win Su, Juana Bordas, Gerie Grimes and Gail Schoettler for reinforcing this for our guests that evening.
​

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (CWHF) and the Women of Denver (WOD) network have entered into a partnership to broaden the reach of both organizations in educating and inspiring Colorado women of all ages. The partnership will support brand awareness building and community outreach for both.

“One of the challenges CWHF has as an established organization with a solid following of both men and women, is the need to diversify our reach to include and engage younger generations,” says Beth Barela, CWHF board chair. “Women of Denver is one of the most diverse, active and progressive organizations in Denver with a solid following of next generation women bringing fresh perspectives about the roles and impact of Colorado women making a difference.”

To kick off the partnership, CWHF and WOD, along with the Colorado Center for Women’s History, are hosting an evening with a multigenerational panel of CWHF inductees and WOD founder Krystal Covington as panel moderator. The event, “Mentors & Role Models: Diverse Pathways to Success,” focuses on the importance of both mentors and role models along the career-life continuum and celebrates January as National Mentoring Month.

The event will be held on Thursday, January 31st from 6:00-8:00pm at Women in Kind, located at 3899 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80205. Doors will open at 6pm; the program begins at 6:30pm. Register for tickets here. Seating is limited.

“I’m excited to moderate this special kickoff panel event and showcase some of Denver’s most well-known mentors,” says WOD’s Covington. “Mentors are an important part of the journey to success in both career and life, and the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame is a premier resource for modeling mentorship by elevating women who make an impact. I’m thrilled to partner with an organization that supports the elevation of women and eager to put our ideas into action.”

Panelists include:
● Krystal Covington, panel moderator, founded Women of Denver in 2014 to connect and inspire 100,000 women through educational events and dynamic thought leadership, so they can acquire knowledge and confidence to earn their worth.
● Juana Bordas has built a successful career teaching leadership skills, and spending her life work with and developing organizations to help women and people of color empower themselves and their communities. Bordas was inducted into CWHF in 1997.
● Gerie Grimes, CEO and president of the Hope Center and community advocate for quality education for children in their early years regardless of level of capability, race, or how society has labeled them. Grimes was inducted into CWHF in 2018.
● Ding-Wen Hsu is a business executive and community leader with a tireless commitment to presenting Asian culture and highlighting the deep traditions of Colorado’s Asian population. She was inducted in 2010.
● Gail Schoettler was the first woman to be both Colorado’s Lt. Governor (elected in 1994) and State Treasurer (from 1987 to 1994). She ran for governor in 1998 and lost by 5000 votes, leading her to found Women Electing Women, a national alliance of women who financially support women running for Governor and U.S. Senate. Also she was appointed by President Clinton as U.S. ambassador to negotiate a global treaty with 189 nations on the use of radio spectrum for all commercial, civil and military purposes. Schoettler was inducted in 2018.

Key takeaways:
● Understand the meaning and purpose of mentoring and how being a mentor differs from being a role model.
● Discover the economic and inspirational power of mentorship.
● Learn how to build and maintain effective mentor relationships.

This event is Ideal for:
● Experienced leaders with the desire to "give back," by becoming a mentor.
● Young professionals who want to create mentor relationships with leaders they admire.
● Experienced "mentees," who love to share their experiences with building and maintaining great relationships that lead to valuable results.

About the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame:
The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame was created to recognize, honor and preserve the contributions of trailblazing Colorado women. Both historical and contemporary women have shared foresight, vision and accomplishment, but lacked a forum for recognition. Since 1985, the Hall has inducted 152 extraordinary women who have been outstanding in their field, elevated the status of women, helped open new frontiers for women or inspired others by their example. Inductees include scientists, teachers, social activists, philanthropists, authors, business leaders, elected officials and more.

To learn more about inductees, visit: http://www.cogreatwomen.org/inductees/women-in-the-hall/
Stay in touch via Facebook: www.facebook.com/cogreatwomen, the LinkedIn group: Colorado
Follow CWHF on Twitter @ColoradoWHF.

About Women of Denver:
Women of Denver (WOD) is the most diverse and active women's organization in Denver. With over 40 events per year their dynamic network helps women increase their business acumen, sharpen leadership skills and connect with other high-achieving women. WOD’s mission is to connect and inspire 100,000 women through their educational events and progressive thought-leadership, so they can acquire the knowledge and confidence to earn their worth. Learn more at www.thewomenofdenver.com.

by Kristen Blessman President and CEO Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce www.cwcc.org

There are a few statements I hear more often than I’d like when talking to people about the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC). “There are too many women’s organizations in Denver. What’s the difference between all of you?” and, “You should partner more, merge and figure out who’s doing what.” While I agree we should work together to meet our market’s needs, I absolutely disagree that there are too many organizations serving women in Colorado.

The latest McKinsey and Company study shows it will take 107 years for women to catch up to where men are in the workplace. As staggering as that statistic is, this means the landscape for women in the workplace is actually getting worse! According to Catalyst, a nonprofit working to build better workplaces for women, only about 5% of CEOs in corporate America and only 26.5% of executives in the S&P 500 are women. For women of color, the numbers are even more dismal.

To top it off, in almost 10 years, the number of women in senior roles in the United States has only increased by 1%. If you ask me, there aren’t enough organizations serving women because if there were, we wouldn’t be seeing these numbers. I started to ponder … nonprofit organizations are often encouraged to partner more, but when it comes to a for-profit organization, they are encouraged to be competitive, develop the best product and let the consumer choose. The company that is the most successful at this ends up on top.

I wonder why, as nonprofits, we don’t think this way. Is it because we’re ultimately serving people and working towards a mission? I believe a competitive marketplace can lead to development of strong programming and be a pathway to innovation. Don’t get me wrong, we still need to partner because the need is so very great, especially when it comes to improving the work landscape for women. But, by introducing some aspects of the for-profit culture into our nonprofit organizations, we can serve more individuals better.

My Experience During the course of my career as the previous CMO of Goodwill and the current President and CEO of the CWCC, I’ve faced the challenge of blending a competitive business culture with cause-based culture and have learned a few lessons along the way.

Lesson 1: An organization whose ultimate goal is to create real and lasting systematic change in a community can have a competitive edge over an organization that lacks a mission of this type.

Lesson 2: In many industries, the more competition you have in a close proximity, the more successful the industry is as a whole. More choices equals more engagement.

The Takeaway While it’s true there have been many positive changes over the past 30 years for women in the workplace, the McKinsey and Company study shows that there’s still change needed. My vision is to place the CWCC at the forefront of this change. We are the place where conversations start and learning and collaboration occur.

​I don’t think anyone has the secret sauce yet, but I do believe if we have the conversations, promote the education and get like-minded individuals together, we will begin to see better results. I believe the more organizations we have in our community trying to make lasting change for the advancement of women in business, government, life or any particular cause, the more we’ll chip away at the statistics for women in the workplace.  

by ​Susan Golicic, PhD, CPIC, Holistic Life Coach and Stephen Glitzer, CHWC, Holistic Life Coach, Chef www.uninhibitedwellness.com

The Women of Denver is a mix of women in the corporate and the entrepreneurial world. Past issues of this magazine, as well as various networking and training events have highlighted many of the members and how they have gotten to where they are. Some of the most recent stories have described how some have taken perceived weaknesses, challenges faced, and even traumatic experiences and turned those into catalysts for enhancing their jobs and starting new organizations and businesses. Work is a large part of our lives, therefore, feeling good about your work is a big part of your well-being.

​ Occupational wellness is about finding meaning and purpose in your job — whether in your current position or a new one. A job doesn’t feel like a job if you are passionate about what you do and feel as though you are pursuing your "calling" in life. Improving your occupational wellness can impact those that work for and with you as well — if you love what you do, others will recognize that and it could be contagious! Here are 5 things you can do to further develop your occupational wellness.

Tackle an issue that matters to you. Get on a committee at work, join an initiative team, engage with your current environment, or get others to join you in supporting something. Giving energy to a cause which resonates with you can give you the boost you’ve been needing!

Fully utilize your skill set. Use your skills to not only influence and impact the work you do and the people you work with, but also work to refine and enhance them. What can you do to learn more and continue growing? Finding ways to contribute in areas that are not part of your everyday job can also help hone your skills.

Learn something new. Is there a skill set you don’t have that would be helpful in your job or life? Take a class, watch a webinar, attend a mastermind group, or approach someone that you admire and ask them to mentor you. Explore an area in which you’ve been interested but haven’t yet pursued — you may find a new passion!

Be an agent of change. It’s possible that the company you work for is stuck or stagnant in some areas. Have you done all you can to improve these conditions? If it’s time to move on to something new, what can you glean from your past so as to not relive it in your new endeavor? You can be a catalyst for greatness, whether in your current role or with yourself!

Join business development or networking groups. Getting involved with others that have a similar but different focus can be rewarding. Even if you’re using the group as a social component to your self-care routine, you may find yourself reaping the benefits on the business side as well. Seek insight from others to help broaden your knowledge and your sphere of influence. What all of this essentially gets at is ensuring you have a growth mindset when it comes to work (we recommend reading “Mindset” by Carol Dweck if you’d like to learn more).

The average person spends 90,000 hours at work, so why not make the most of that huge piece of your life? All areas of wellness are intertwined so you owe it to your overall health to improve your occupational wellness. Make the most of your job and career, and you will find yourself feeling not only more successful but also happier! 

by Krystal Covington, MBA

The company sales team is the life source of the business, pumping resources into every aspect of operations. Effective sales teams provide the resources to lead a powerful enterprise, scale to reach new markets, and sustain the business for years to come, but building and sustaining a successful team is easier said than achieved. Businesses spend thousands on sales training seminars, conferences, and events with the hope that inspiring their people will result in more money in the door, but these types of programs often result in a temporary lift that doesn’t justify the cost. Woman-led SalesBQ takes a systematic approach to sales training, helping companies at the $1-10 million mark build and train their sales teams to improve long term results. To learn more about how the company was formed, we interviewed company Founder Mary Grothe about her journey and the team’s approach to sales development. 

How did you discover your talent for sales? Years ago after becoming frustrated with bad part-time jobs and late hours I ran across an administrative position for a Fortune 1000 company called Paychex. At the time, I didn’t even know what sales was, but was offered a role that required me to support a sales team of eight along with the sales manager as well. That sales manager ended up being an incredible mentor, teaching me everything about sales infrastructure, process, methodology, and what a life in sales could look like. He helped me create a sales training curriculum comprised of books, classroom education, and hands-on learning by slowly taking over critical functions from the sales team members.

I led projects such as telemarketing, following up with leads, picking up paperwork for closed sales, acting as an account executive and performing many other operational tasks for the sales team. Eventually I decided to make a career change and pursue a role as a mid-market sales leader and within 30 days I became the #1 rep, bringing in millions in revenue.

Sales has a reputation for being a male-dominated field. Do you feel this is an accurate assessment, and if so how have you been able to thrive in sales as a woman? Sales is a male dominated field, however, many women are taking on sales careers now. Early on, it was difficult for me to fit in and feel like “one of the guys,” which resulted in me bending who I was and acting more like my male counterparts. It took several years for me to become secure in my own identity as a woman in a sales role.

It took even longer to have the confidence to pursue a sales leadership role. Now in my 30s, my confidence is high, and I consciously work to help inspire, motivate, and train other women in sales to excel in their careers and pursue a path to sales leadership if that’s a path they want.  

What’s the #1 problem facing sales teams, and how can they overcome it? The #1 problem facing sales teams is lack of infrastructure. All teams should have a sales playbook, congruent sales approach, sales enablement tools, achievable activity plan, clearly understood expectations, and a high-accountability culture that includes coaching and training embedded in weekly job duties. To overcome this, a sales leader or executive should meet with the team and conduct a strategy planning session together where everyone has an opportunity to share and, most importantly, feel heard.

In those sessions it’s important to pull experiences from the role that work, consolidate the data into an easy playbook, and rewrite expectations for activity and quotas that the team can agree they’re willing to work to achieve. Create a buy-in culture by leveraging the knowledge and expertise from everyone in the sales department. If the sales leader is not a sales coach or trainer by trade, hire one. Embed weekly sales coaching and training into the culture. Allow each person to grow and develop new skills. Work together as a team, communicate, and grow sales.

Tell us about your team and the philosophy you use to select those who work with you. My team is extremely important to my business, so it’s imperative that I only surround myself with the best. I always believe in the concept of showing humility by hiring people who are better, faster and smarter than me. I’ll never let my ego get in the way of a great hire.

The people on my team have grit written in their DNA and the role they’re in comes naturally to them without being draining. They also have a passion for learning and take regular action to continue building their skills to be more effective in their roles. I also believe it’s my job to continue developing them, so they can achieve greater career heights. That’s what my mentor did for me, and I expect no less from myself as a leader.

Do you have a special philosophy for leading your business and serving clients? As a Christian business woman, I follow the principles laid out in the book “Business by the Book” by Larry Burkett. Our core principles are to love our team members, our clients, our competitors, our vendors, and our partners. We are to serve first. Always. We are in business to do right by others. We picked CEOs and sales reps as our “somebody.” We choose to develop them and provide profitable sales growth so they can have the business and careers of their dreams. We are here to serve. If we serve first and lead with love, we will all live a life of joy and bountiful provision.

​ Why do you do this work? What’s in it for you when a sales team you’ve worked with starts to see exponential growth? I do this work because I was put on this planet to do it. It comes naturally, and I seem to have nearly endless energy to run this company and lead a team of 8. I get overly excited and passionate every time I lead a sales training or meet with our CEO clients to develop their plans for growth. I am honored this life was chosen for me and I get the opportunity to help grow sales for so many front range companies. ​

by Phylecia Jones, Budgetologist & Solopreneur Money Management Expert www.keepupwithmrsjones.com


When it comes to your financial matters, how serious are you? It’s a tough question, but with consumer debt estimated to reach $4 billion dollars according to CNBC by the end of 2018 and Americans struggling with having savings for small emergencies, it brings the issue of financial priorities to the forefront. Creating financial goals is not an issue for the average person. The Motley Fool says paying down debt, saving more money, and avoiding further debt are the top 3 financial goals most people set.

But, at times, our goals do not match the realities of how we are actually managing our money. Facing the hard truths about how you see and interact with your finances is difficult, but for significant changes to happen you will have to start with YOU. If you are constantly missing your financial goals or never taking action, you may be falling into some common traps that can take you off course from achieving your money milestones:

Being comfortable. When the bills are paid, money is coming in, and life is running like a well-oiled machine, it can be hard to take action when everything is okay. This is the perfect time to look 5, 10 years down the road and create financial milestones for where you want to be versus where you are right now.

Trying to keep up. Keeping up is a one-way ticket to debt, stress and despair. Stop worrying about others and focus only on your financial goals.

Assuming the bread winner will always make bread. For many couples, assuming the other person will always make money can be financially dangerous. Losing a job, sickness, loss of income are things we never think of when it comes to being in a relationship, but a small change can cause major waves. Create an emergency savings plan to cover the unexpected.

Avoiding doing the work. Getting out of debt. Saving 9-12 months of emergency funds. Paying off student loans. All are very intimidating tasks but avoiding them is not an option. Take the time to gather the resources needed to set you up for success and create a plan to tackle one task at a time.

Having priorities that do not match your goals. You have the goals, but you keep putting them off because of the next shiny object. Impulsive shopping and overspending has ruined many financial plans. Take the time to track your spending over the last three months. This simple action will put you face-to-face with a financial reality check. Ultimately, making a small shift to take ownership of your financial matters is key to getting out of debt, saving more money, and avoiding dire situations.

​Facing the hard truths about money management can be uncomfortable, but change does not occur in your comfort zone. With record high debt and 65% of Americans saving little to nothing, it is time to put a stake in the ground, change your perspective, and take your financial matters more seriously. 


by Bree Weber

It all began with wanting to change the world. Jamie Cross left a comfortable and profitable corporate banking job over five years ago. She wanted to be home with her young children, but she also longed for an idea that she could turn into something bigger than herself. Jamie now runs the largest growing organic soap company in the country. MIG Soap stands for Mighty in Good, and it’s made only of ingredients that are safe (and often delicious) enough to eat. MIG Soap grossed over six figures as a local farmer’s market booth, but then Jamie grew the company to over $2 million sales in one year using Click Funnels.

Jamie had decided early on that she wouldn’t be taking her products to a retail model. MIG Soap is not a standard soap, so why use a standard distribution strategy? Instead, Jamie spent four years selling her products at Denver’s local farmers markets as a form of market research. “I needed to understand what people wanted. I came to a point when I decided it was time to scale and decided to go direct to consumer.“

Next, she did what most entrepreneurs do. She found mentors and hired coaches, but she wasn’t getting the results that she wanted from them. In her digital marketing research, she came across a video of Russell Brunson talking about Click Funnels. “His marketing message resonated with me and I was so inspired, I decided to go all in. He was talking about both marketing principles and techniques, and he was nailing it on everything. His mission is so much bigger than business; he wants to impact people, which is my mission.”

It all came down to creating an experience for her customers. Websites can be distracting — there’s navigation and menus and plenty to click on. When Jamie started using Russell’s tactics to create her sales funnel, she was able to focus the customer’s experience down to a single product — a hero product. Click Funnels are a sales progression that break down people’s false belief patterns. So, Jamie used her funnel to bust myths about organic soap. She explained how MIG Soap’s products are made with real ingredients with the intention to heal people. She showed that her company is one of the fastest-growing skincare companies in the world right now. She shared her story about what Mighty in Good really means. “I grew up as a farm girl, so we were always making things for ourselves. But then I grew up and went to work in corporate, and little by little I lost that dream of making. When I quit my job, I prayed for a big idea, and soap was what I saw in my dream — me making soap and pouring oils into these skincare products.” 

And then, when those customers were riveted with her story and clamoring to buy, that sales funnel would continue to work for her, by introducing complementary products that customers could add onto their order. This is exactly how she scaled her business to $2 million. But she’s not stopping. “I wanted to be able to raise my children and show them the entrepreneurial life, so they can have what I have. I want to build an empire and the only way to do that is through entrepreneurship. “ 

Jamie credits her immense success to learning the techniques and principles that inform her selling process, but she also has a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit. It’s practically unheard of to build a product-based company of MIG Soap’s size and scale without traditional retail distribution. But if anyone has ever believed in a product, it was Jamie. “I knew I was different, and what I had was unique. It all starts with belief. I knew if I didn’t give up and continued to educate people I could only win. You can only dominate if you keep moving forward and believe.“ 

Not every soap company is as honest with their marketing as MIG Soap. There are plenty of companies marketing their products as natural, organic, and pure, but there are very few actually creating products that are. Jamie studied chemistry, alchemy, and herbalism, so she could formulate her own products. Then she partnered with bee farms, apiaries, and botanical gardens to source those natural, organic, and pure ingredients. “You could eat our products if you were stranded on a desert island. If you can’t eat it, I wouldn’t put it on my skin." 

MIG Soap has brought freedom and choice to Jamie’s life. She no longer wears every hat. She’s been careful to replace herself with rock stars who believe in her vision and implement it in the way she would. This allows Jamie to focus on continuing to grow her company, while simultaneously fulfilling her original goal: to spend more time with her family. Jamie now works two days a week with her husband at her side, and spends the rest of her time adventuring with her family, enriching their lives with experiences they’ll never forget. “I've dreamed about taking my 'beauty from the inside out' message and health and wellness movement to the world, and now our message is being platformed everywhere. It's truly a dream come true.“ ​

by Krystal Covington, MBA

We all have that friend -- she's fun, sassy and a little unconventional -- simple gifts like a sparkly necklace or winter sweater just won't do. Here's a few ideas to get your friend a gift she won't be getting 10 times over this season.

This visual book is filled with powerful quotes and details of the lives of some of the most impactful women in recent history from Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, and Virginia Woolf to Sojourner Truth, Malala Yousafzai, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

Recommended by Oprah Magazine, these portable wine glasses are the perfect gift for the wine lover. With a spill-proof lid these glass containers can carry a glass of wine in a purse or bag without spilling. ​

This beautifully illustrated book series will introduce the ladies in your life to dozens of historical women who were trailblazers, creators and innovators of their time. This set is a great gift for adults and youth alike

Show your tea loving friend she has flavor by giving the gift of an assortment of green blends. 

If your friend loves spice AND travel, snag this unique global hot sauce sampler set, so she can taste the heat from all over the world. 

Celebrate the greats of times past and present by building a decorative space in their honor. 

Moving to a new home or apartment? Get her prepared for household improvements and quick fix moments with this helpful toolkit. 

A great gift for the social butterfly, this game cube provides hours of conversational fun for hostesses.