by Solange Lopes | Mar 28, 2017 | Career
Cotton-nylon coat – Photo credit: shop style.com
Our Wear to Work feature showcases workwear pieces in various styles and price ranges. Please note this post contains affiliates links.
Hello Spring showers! ‘Tis the season to be perfectly well-dressed one minute, only to be drenched in spring rains about a half second later…Hence the necessity for cute outerwear, such as this Brooks Brothers water-repellent cotton0-nylon coat! Loving the classic gingham pattern on this cotton oxford and durable nylon coat, perfect for Spring!
In other Spring coat goodies, I also love this ultra-feminine take on your classic trench coat from Club Monaco. This Badly Mischka faux-leather-trim long trench coat from Nordstrom is also an amazing pick for those dreary rainy nights!
Seen a piece you’d like us to feature? Post in the comments below or email me at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 28, 2017 | Make More Money
March is Credit Card Education Month, and The Corporate Sister is partnering with Fundera to provide vital information on what it takes to guarantee your credit card success as a small business owner. Fundera’s mission is to get small business owners the financing they need to grow, which also happens to be one of the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs.
As a relatively new entrepreneur, I know it can be quite challenging to fund your business, especially in the beginning. It can be tempting to get in deep credit card debt to cover your business expenses, at the risk of losing most of their assets.
To help you ensure your credit card success as you grow your empire, Fundera has put together this extremely descriptive and helpful guide to Credit Card success.
Guide to Credit Card Success – Photo credit: fundera.com
What other questions do you have when it comes to guaranteeing your credit card success?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi
So after laughing for a few weeks straight after side-eyeing the last words in Luvvie Ajayi’s “I’m Judging You”, I’ve finally gotten to write my review. And it could basically be summarized in three words/phrases: side eyes, laughs, and a masterpiece.
Literally, this was one of the very few times that I sat/laid/rolled in front of a book, laughing my eyeballs out…And yes, your significant others will cut strange glances at you as you treat this book like your funny BFF from high school who cracks the best jokes about everybody and their mama…
In her book, released last September, Nigerian-born author Luvvie Ajayi, well…judges you, I and everybody else… I mean, she lays it on us, hilariously sharing her funny but oh so real take on serious issues ranging from racism, sexism to social media and the abuse of hashtags…Her do-better manual is a real, down-to-earth guide to all those modern sins we’re surrounded by (or commit ourselves) and how to, well…do better…
In the four sections of the book, namely Life, Culture, Social Media and Fame, Ajayi diagnoses the ills of our contemporary society in laugh-out loud chapters with hilarious titles such as “Your Facebook is my favorite soap opera” and exposes the naked truth many of us don’t see or admit most of the time.
Ajayi, whose previous professional experience includes marketing and digital strategist, started blogging in 2003. Within a short timeframe, she launched Awesomelyluvvie.com. Through her blog, she’s gathered a growing following of fans by writing about popular topics and topics she’s passionate about, such as her compelling reviews of the widely acclaimed Shonda Rhimes’ brainchild “Scandal”.
I personally felt a deep connection to the book, being a fellow West African like Ajayi. Some of the anecdotes she referred to, from the very African art of the side eye to her experience as an African immigrant (hello Africa’s not a jungle, or a single country), felt like home sweet home. Ajayi’s voice feels like the sister from back home who eats rice and knows what it means to have your African first name butchered in American school…
All in all, Ajayi’s collection of humorous lectures and sharp essays is a must-read. The book is even currently being developed as a cable series by Scandal’s Shonda Rhimes, and promises to be a sweeping societal movement. Plus a reminder that we should all do better, and yes, I’m giving you the side-eye…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2017 | Start Your Business |
“You don’t have to have it all figured out before you dive in” – Lisa Jakub
And so started this’ year’s Lady Project summit, which I had the pleasure of attending for the first time this past week-end in Providence, RI. And all I can say is ah-mazing! From the emotional opening keynote by writer Lisa Jakub, to Governor Gina Raymondo’s empowering address, to the amazing workshops and closing keynote by the inspiring Rhonesha Byng, it was all in all an incredibly powerful experience!
Being my first summit of the kind, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Neither was I prepared for the onslaught of positive, enlightening feminine energy channeled throughout the entire event..Held at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, aka the Vets, in Providence, RI, the summit gathered over 300 women from all over the country, from various careers, businesses and life paths.
Lisa Jakub, Author and Lady Project Summit 2017 Keynote Speaker
“We are so much more than our work, marital status, dress sizes…“- Lisa Jakub
In a deep heartfelt and emotional keynote, the writer took us along her personal journey from being a successful child actor to quitting the Hollywood jungle in her twenties to become a writer. In her enlightening speech, she shed the light on becoming our more authentic selves, finding purpose in the mess, and demystifying the stigmas of anxiety and depression. As I listened to her, I felt the weight of all the societal pressures towards women in particular, and people in general, lift up. We all face the fear of showing up as our most authentic selves, whether it’s at home or in life. Sometimes, all it takes is one brave person who has enough courage to expose what most of us go through to give us permission to be all we can be. And Lisa did just that…
The opening keynote was followed by an electrifying address from RI Governor Gina Raymondo, showing her support for the Lady Project. One her phrases in particular caught mine and the audience’s attention: ” There are only four female governors in America. We must stay in the game.” In a few well-chosen words, she reminded us that as women we not only need to stay the game, but own it. One of the most powerful examples she gave of changing young girls and women’s perspectives is that of the “Governor for a day”, whereby young girls are picked through an essay contest to shadow her for a day. This reminds us of our responsibility to give young girls and women sources of inspiration and faith in the possibilities that lie ahead of them…
RI Governor Gina Raimondo – Lady Project Summit 2017
A series of workshops ensued, from professional, career-oriented workshops, to writing and PR ones, among others. One of my personal favorites were the “Plan Your Pivot: Changing Careers without Scrapping everything you’ve worked for“, led by the impressive Adrian Granzella Larssen. She inspired the audience by telling her own story of pivoting careers, and offered various effective strategies to change careers by leveraging all the skills, talents and experiences we bring to the table.
Another one was around increasing our social media visibility, led by Appleseed Communications founder Ashley Crouch. The session was a highly informative medley of PR success strategies and media examples, providing an excellent blueprint for small business owners.
Ann Shoket, Author, The Big Life
“Your squad is those women who help you succeed.” Ann Shoket, Author & Bad Ass Babe-in-Chief, “The Big Life”
If you’ve never been in one of Ann Shoket’s workshops or dinners, you must! After attending one of her Bad Ass Babe dinners in Providence the evening before, I had the pleasure of being part of the lunch workshop she led during the summit. Hearing Ann talk about the big life she describes in her book, from having a strong career, a passionate side hustle, to a supportive squad, it seemed possibilities are indeed endless for women.
One of the key distinctions she made, and which made me rethink the meaning of what a squad really is, is that your squad doesn’t have to be your group of besties. These are women who push you, empower and inspire you to be your best self and to reach for your dreams. So many of us need to have this, the real squad, not just the “let’s grab a drink and gossip” girls. But the women who lift us up, push us forward, and propel us towards our best lives and careers…
Rhonesha Byng, HerAgenda’s Founder
“When your potential meets exposure, you explode“. Rhonesha Byng, founder of HerAgenda.
Although the day had been all kinds of amazing, I couldn’t wait for the closing keynote of the day. I’ve been a longtime fan of Rhonesha Byng and an avid follower of HerAgenda, the media platform she started at only 16. Watching and listening to her, I not only saw a media powerhouse, but a strong, proud, successful Black woman giving us all the example of what is possible for women to achieve and beyond.
One of the key points of her speech for me touched to our need to champion women, so we can all be in the rooms where decisions are being made and change is being effected. The rooms where our voices need to be heard. For our potential to be seen, we need this exposure. We need to enter those rooms. And we also need to leave the door open for other women to enter those rooms, and let their voices be heard.
Yet the high note of her address occurred when she spoke of her young Black and Latino girls missing in DC because not enough attention’s being paid to their disappearances. It was a wake-up call she illustrated by sharing her own personal story of escaping abduction. Her transparency, vulnerability, as well as her incredible power and influence, kept the room barely breathing. She taught us all a lesson in determination, resilience, but also in sharing our stories, our power, our platforms to effect change and champion other women.
After a well-deserved standing ovation, Rhonesha Byng left a room bursting with hope, power, and motivation, as we went on to toast to a day to remember…
So thank you the Lady Project for an astounding time! See you next year…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 24, 2017 | PODCAST
Welcome to this new episode of The Working Girls podcast!
In this show, we’re all about Spring Cleaning! We ‘re officially into Spring, and with Spring, comes Spring Cleaning…Which is why in this show, I’m discussing cleaning and purging those dusty, cobweb-filled corners of our lives and careers, from our day-to-day to our resumes and LinkedIn profiles:
What you’ll learn/listen to/enjoy in this episode:
- Our new sweepstakes from Home Away in honor of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast movie
- Why spring cleaning is a necessity in our lives and career
- How to spring clean our resumes
- How to keep our Linked In profiles fresh
Links:
Thanks for Listening!
Thanks so much for tuning in and listening to this week’s episode! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please share it by using the social media at the bottom of this post!
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Until next time,
The Corporate Sis.
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