Happy International Women's Day!
Pinar O.
Today is another International Women's Day, and here we are, all the women who work with an endless love for Glickenhaus. While choosing the questions this year, I told everyone, "Let's not talk about being a mother this time; let's focus on what makes us who we are. Motherhood is already an extraordinary situation; most of us are creating our own daily miracles by simultaneously working and mothering. This year let's talk about ourselves." Because everything starts with us.
After seeing the replies together on one page, I felt glad we did it that way. Because we learned a lot about each other, isn't it amazing how a single word can tell you so much about someone? Words have tremendous power; especially if you share sincerely, the energy you radiate will differ. That's why every answer you'll read here is so precious, and every word has thousands of meanings underneath it...
Furthermore, we discussed many charities, organizations, and women's problems in every aspect of life. It was terrific to speak and share ideas, also recognizing how lucky we are. So everything raised a question: as women, if we are fortunate enough to work, live, and talk freely, what can we do for the women who need help? Now it is time for us to find an answer to this question.
Here are the questions that I asked everyone this year.
I am proud of myself for this because…
My superpower is…
Which global non-profit associations you follow that actively work for women inspire you? And why?
And here are our beautiful (inside and out), intelligent, brave, and fabulous women of Team Glickenhaus. (In alphabetical order.)
Happy Women's day, everyone, enjoy your day, hold your right hand with your left hand, hug yourself so tight, and talk with yourself today, say thank you, say I love you, say you deserve the best of everything, because you are!
With love,
Pinar Ozyigit
Ann P.
I am proud that I am a CPA licensed in New York. I worked in public accounting for many years, and now I am happy to be working and sharing my professional knowledge with the Glickenhaus Family. When I am not at the office, I practice Tai Chi and enjoy gardening. I am also an active member of my church and member of a book club composed of interesting and intelligent women who want to make a difference in their workplaces and communities.
My superpower is that I am highly organized. I have also been told that I am a super accountant because I am left-handed and operate my calculator with my right hand… I can write numbers and add numbers at the same time. 😊
I support both national and local organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association and Feeding Westchester (to help humans) as well as the ASPCA and Flatbush Cats (to help our furry friends).
Debra B.
I am proud of myself because I am strong, resilient, and can meet any challenge.
My superpower is finding the positive in any situation.
I am inspired by women's organizations that empower young girls, because I feel passionate about the value of women supporting other women, validating, respecting and lifting each other up without negativity or judgment.
Lourdes R.
I am proud of myself for waking up every day and choosing to be happy and positive. Throughout the year I maintain an indoor/outdoor vegetable garden that allows me to share with my family and neighbors. The ability to grow, maintain and give to others helps me to keep a positive, happy, and healthy attitude toward life. Being outdoors, fishing, and interacting with others are ways that relax me and keep me grounded.
My superpower is my tenacity. I believe when things seem to be falling apart it is the time to react with determination, courage and perseverance. I feel this to be a strength in my character that allows me to meet challenges head on and use the opportunity to shine.
I actively follow Dress for Success which is an organization providing professional attire, resources, and tools for low-income women that exist in the job market. I believe this creates confidence in women by giving them a feeling and look of professionalism in a process that can be intimidating, scary, and full of unknowns.
Meg C.
I am proud of myself because I try to make a positive difference via political activism and community service.
My superpower is finding parking spaces.
I support Planned Parenthood. It does more than any organization I know to provide sexual and reproductive health care and to defend women's right to control our bodies and our lives.
Melissa F.C.
I have lots of things to be proud of, actually. I am learning to ask for what I want, what I deserve, and what I need. Also, I am a good reader; I love books! I guess I am also a great listener, and I am proud of it. I am a survivor. The last couple of years were the most difficult times of my life, and when I look in the mirror, I see a strong Melissa! She is becoming stronger every single day. And I am proud of her.
It’s my turn, my new chapter in life. I made a big decision a few years ago and am so proud of my growth. I am prioritizing myself for the first time – professionally and spiritually. I now advocate and negotiate for what I want out of life.
My superpower is Resilience and spontaneity!
My support has recently been more local, a women’s domestic violence center focusing on education and empowerment. At the American Women of Surrey in England, where I was the Philanthropy Chair, I learned how powerful a group of women can be together and make things happen. When I needed to return to the workplace after staying home for a few years, a fantastic organization called Apres supported me with career services and webinars.
Pat M.
I am proud of myself for putting myself through college while working full-time. I went to school nights and summers for six years, and at 52, I got my undergraduate degree.
My superpowers are; I can crochet a great baby blanket, and I've sung for the Pope.
Any foundation that encourages women making their own way in the world. Providing instructions on how to start a business or grow vegetables to sustain their own families.
Also, any foundation that shows a woman she has great worth in this world!
Regina N.
As a woman, I am proud of myself for "Still Standing." What I mean by this is that I started my career in the days when men ruled and still chased their secretaries around the desk. It was a time when you quit your job when you had your first child. Daycare for newborns was unheard of, and childcare rarely existed. As a woman, I fought for respect; I knew it had to be earned. I worked really hard to do that. Over the years, I gained self-confidence and emotional intelligence. Now there are laws and rules preventing all the stuff I fought against. Now my personal battle is to stay relevant, keep up with technology and stay healthy. I expect to do this until I take my last breath.
My superpower is to be able to speak the truth and do the right thing, even if it is hard.
The group I follow is Know Your Value. This is a group started by Mika Brzezinski. She is the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC. She has had a long career in journalism. It is an "empowered community helping women to grow their careers, form healthy habits, and reach their full potential."
PINAR O.
I inherited tireless diligence from my mother and stubborn creativity from my father. Adding determination to these two as the result of the world's most annoying astrological chart, a strange character emerges, and that's me. And I'm proud of this strange woman. I love myself. Being resilient, stable, and widely open to learning new things positively develops me daily. I never give up. I am proud of all of these. I would also like to state that this is one of the career moments that I am most proud of in my life as someone who has created, directed, and led a campaign that changed a couple of laws on women's work rights. I can never stand the injustice done to women and children. I'm proud that this is my sensitive line. I can not handle people who think they know everything because this is impossible. I cannot stand people who are not active listeners. Because it means they don’t care. I am proud of myself because I truly believe in lifelong learning. I aim to become a Prof. Dr. before taking my last breath. I promised this to my mom and currently studying to achieve this goal with baby steps. My mom never stepped into a school; she wasn’t lucky enough but a survivor. As a result, she became a badass working woman who taught herself reading, writing, math, and accounting. I am a new-generation reflection of herself, which is why this is so important to her. Her daily messages on Instagram are happy Panda videos and asking if I'm studying enough and doing my best at work for Glickenhaus. It is her love language, and I appreciate it; I want to receive these ultimatum messages from her for as long as possible. By the way, I will celebrate my 50th birthday this summer. I don’t know if achieving my goal at this age will be possible, but we will see. I know it will take years, but being on the path to earning a Ph.D. using all my free time to read, research, and study makes me feel wonderful about myself. My husband texted me suddenly yesterday and told me how proud he is. To me, this is worth everything. Doing something only for yourself is the best thing you can do. Besides that, all of it is becoming a role model to my children to show them you can do everything at any age if you genuinely want to do something. Last Sunday, after a busy weekend carrying all the helps that we collected for Turkey’s Earthquake victims, it was around midnight, and I was jumping at home with screams. Because my research proposal got accepted with a 100% acceptance rate, it was crazy because I did it alone, in between a lot of work and life responsibilities, while juggling emails, calls, and WhatsApp messages in the daytime, I study at night, over the weekend, reading my books at the restroom instead of spending time on Social Media’s endless, meaningless the dark rabbit hole of the short videos. I am telling this and trying to show all the women that they can find a way to help themselves to feel better. Instead of fighting with the world, trying to create attention with negativity, or stressing about the things you cannot change, please focus on yourself because it is the key.
My superpower is my overpowering sixth sense, the dreams I see, and my ability to empathize. This condition affects not only my brain and my soul but also my body. I can easily understand who is lying, from a text, an email, or a verbal conversation. If the person is someone I don’t know or care it is not essential, but if this person has value in my life, it is becoming a brutal experience for me. My sister thinks I would make a better career in fortune-telling. But that is why I am studying Neuropsychology focused Psychology at this age to understand myself and understand people and their behaviors scientifically.
I support everything that helps women, women entrepreneurs, and children. IWMF, International Women's Media Foundation, Malala Fund, Kiva, Girls not Brides, MATCH, Nike Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Women in Motorsport, and many others. But to me, Kiva is one of the best examples in its category, especially from an entrepreneurship point of view.