by Solange Lopes | Feb 27, 2017 | Career
Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars last night, and I’m still in my feelings. Watching this absolutely amazing woman, actress, mother, wife, human being walk up the stage in all her well-deserved glory to get her well-deserved Oscar had me tearing up. But it was her speech, one of her many striking, true-to-the-core, emotional speeches, that had me doing the ugly cry all over my late night dessert…
“You know, there’s one place where all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. And that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, the stories of the people who dreamed.”
As I listened to Viola (in my fertile imagination, Viola is my big sis, you may borrow her too), I heard the longing of my own heart. And that of so many others faced with the work of their lives, with dreams they may be weary of pursuing, with aspirations they may not think themselves worthy of…
I thought of those before us who also were faced with the work of their lives, with dreams and aspirations they may have ushered to the side for fear they wouldn’t be practical…Or just because life demanded a different, more grounded, less dreamy kind of living…Those whose talents, potential and spirit now lie in the graveyard, stuck somewhere in between the dash separating their birth dates from the day they died…
How many of us are also carrying within us those dreams, that potential, that extraordinary spirit, that can make an impact in the world? How many of us are burying those alive in stuffy cubicles, toxic work environments, and an all-around busy life that fails to provide us with the ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction we’re created to experience?
If you’re sitting in front of your computer today, feeling a gap where there should be a fill, sensing that there’s got to be MORE, then you may be concealing that potential, that spirit, that talent inside of you. Then you may be sacrificing fulfillment and satisfaction for the sake of normalcy and security…And yes, we all face different circumstances, have different obligations, and are not always at liberty to run free…Yet, if your life’s work, your life’s dreams, talent and potential, is unfinished, who may complete it?
After her historic win, in the midst of tears and intense emotion, Viola said: “I just wanted to be good at something!“
In her words, I heard once again the cry of so many women, so many sisters, working day in and day out, searching for the recognition they deserve. Don’t get me wrong, Viola certainly doesn’t need validation! Neither do we…Yet this precious sense that we’re doing work that is valued, that our contributions are cherished and recognized, has the power to fill us up and continually raise us to new heights. It’s the same value and recognition that so many women, so many sisters have been sorely missing in both their careers and lives. And that may very well be the reason why so many of us don’t dare to dream bigger, expect more and rise higher!
We all want to be good at something, and to be recognized for it! And sometimes, many times, it takes facing massive failure, taking gigantic risks, and switching courses to achieve it. But like Viola, being good, being great at something we love not only creates miracles, it sets the bar and opens the path wide for the rest of us…
Viola won, finally! The first Black woman to win an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony, she won for women, for sisters, for minorities, for overcomers, for all those who wanted it big, and wanted it bad! But most importantly, she won for each and every one of us who may have, at some point or another, realized that there was MORE to their story, MORE to their circumstances, MORE to their surroundings! And instead of settling for normalcy, for tradition, for survival, decided to go out there and dream, thrive and succeed!
Without the Hattie McDaniels, the Halle Berrys, the Viola Davis’, and so many others, women like myself could not see ourselves winning on stage, in life and in our careers. Without those who dream, who dare, who persist, we couldn’t see ourselves clothed in the vision we have for our lives and communities!
So yes, Viola Davis won last night! And so did we…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 24, 2017 | Career
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
- If you haven’t read Susan Fowler’s post on the dysfunctional culture at Uber, and what many women engineers go through, stop everything and read THIS!
- Speaking of this, Business Insider tells you what to do when you have a problem at work and HR won’t help you!
- Have you ever wondered how soon you should update your LinkedIn profile? The Personal Branding Blog tips you off!
- Speaking of Linked In, Recruiter lists off 9 facts you should know about the new Linked In profile;
- Worried about money? Ellevate Network is telling you how not to lose sleep over it;
- Want to tell you if your job is right for you? Take this Glassdoor quiz;
- Want to become a public speaker? Inc. advises you to do these 5 things;
- Get inspired with these quotes from Black female authors on Ellevate;
- WhoWhatWear tells you how to build your entire wardrobe on Amazon;
- Hello busy mamas! Food52 tells you you can put away your knife and cutting board and still get a yummy dinner ready.
Happy Friday!
Cheers,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 17, 2017 | Career
Faux-leather backpack – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Welcome to our week-end chat feature! Got something you want to chat about? Post it in the comments below…
I’m curious to know: would you be sporting a backpack on weekends or even on workdays? Or does the idea bring you back to middle school and pigtail time?
Well, this Sole Society “Kylie” faux-leather backpack is a nice alternative! I love the compact size and minimalist look of this hip bag, that you can pair with just about anything. It comes in grey and oxblood. It’s $49.95 at Nordstrom.
Cheers to the weekend!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 17, 2017 | Career
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
- This week as part of my Race & Work series, I’m discussing the Olivia Pope Syndrome;
- Facing racism at work? Experts on the Glassdoor Blog reveal what to do;
- In MAJOR news this week, Facebook rolled out a new feature allowing companies to post jobs on their business pages. Read more on Workology about it;
- As an entrepreneur, do you ever feel like quitting? Ellevate Network advises you to do these three things first;
- Speaking of entrepreneurship, Forbes Woman shares the best US cities for young entrepreneurs;
- Is your budget getting out of hand? Lifehacker teaches us to keep it to these 3 categories;
- Don’t like stress? Business Insider lists 32 high-paying, low-stress jobs you may want to look at;
- Healthy power lunch anyone? Love and Lemons suggests these easy power lunches to het your healthy on;
- Ellevate lists the 4 must-do’s women must tackle to establish their credibility;
- Last but not least, I rounded up my favorite maternity dresses for work.
Anything you’d like to add to this list? Email me at corporate@thecorporatesister.com, or add it in the comments!
Cheers,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 16, 2017 | Career
ASOS Maternity Dress in mono animal print – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
Let’s get real, expecting your bundle of joy is a beautiful thing. Dressing it every day for work can be a tad more challenging, especially when you can’t see your feet or when you look like you’re about to topple over any second. Yet it’s not about because we’re giving life, that we should give up on (professional) style. So in honor of all the working mamas styling it at work, here’s a quick selection of my own favorite maternity dresses:
Maternal America Front Tie Nursing Dress _ Photo credit: shopstyle.com
The Mama-Approved LBD
For all your board meetings/unnecessary meeting/why-are-we-meeting-again days, this elegant Maternal America stretch jersey dress from Nordstrom dresses the part. I love the figure-flattering sash at the front, which gives it a distinctive street-style appeal.
I also really like this maternity Three Seasons peek-a-boo front solid ruche dress from Amazon, as well as this Mamalicious leather panel dress. And how about this gorgeous ASOS Maternity Embellished Floral Cropped Top Dress?
ASOS Maternity Dress – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
The Floral Maternity Dress
Because Spring can’t come any faster, I’m selecting some floral maternity dresses like this ASOS maternity wiggle dress. I also like this smart pencil dress, also from ASOS.
ASOS Maternity Dress in mono animal print – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
The Patterned Dress
Add some pep to your step with this maternity skater dress in mono animal print from ASOS. In a similar style, I also like this petite blurred spot skater dress, accented with a belt.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 16, 2017 | Career
This post is part of a Race & Work series featured on The Corporate Sister in honor of Black History Month.
The advice from Papa Pope to his daughter on Scandal to be twice as good in order to have half of what her white peers have rings true to many Black women (and men) in the workplace…
If there’s one quote in Scandal that struck and stayed with me to this day, it’s embedded in these words from Papa Pope to his overachieving, far-from-mediocre daughter: “You have to be twice as good to get half as much” (read the recap of the episode here). At the time, this racially charged motto uttered smack down in the middle of prime time television had many, if not most, Black and minority families, and women, nod in approval…
The exchange went something like this:
Rowan: Did I not raise you for better? How many times have I told you? You have to be what?
Olivia: Twice as good.
Rowan: You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.
via GIPHY
If you’re the kid who’s ever brought home a bad grade, or missed an opportunity because you didn’t study hard enough, the feeling is all too familiar. I mean, just read Twice As Good: Condoleezza Rice and her Path to Power…
Many may disagree with this assertion, holding up merit as the only balance of power to measure ourselves against. Yet, if you’ve ver been denied a promotion without exactly knowing why, or have been held accountable for small mistakes that others seem to get away with, then you know…Then you know that, as my mother used to say, “you must be the absolute best when you don’t look like the majority“.
Yes, being Black shouldn’t mean having to be twice as good, but the reality is often not what we’d all like to see. When speaking to the Tuskegee University graduates back in May 2015, Michelle Obama’s words were as wise as they were piercing: “The road ahead is not going to be easy. It never is, especially for folks like you and me. Because while we’ve come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn and they haven’t fully gone away”.
In an October 2015 report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, research suggests that even when Black employees are hired, there’s a tendency to consider them as less skilled and competent. Despite the recent advances made in business hiring practices, a long-standing history of prejudice may cause more scrutiny towards employees of color. And you know what they say, the more you’re being told you’re not smart or good enough, the more you may tend to believe it…
And for Black women, in the words of activist and author Malcolm X and as Beyonce beautifully pulled in her record-breaking, generation-changing album Lemonade:
“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”
via GIPHY
Very few of us, if any, escaped this pain. Yet we find strength in being the best we can be, and making lemonade out of lemons no one else would really want to deal with…And every now and then, we look back and remind ourselves that it was never a waste of time if we learnt so much through the journey…
Do you think the Olivia Pope Syndrome is a myth?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Feb 14, 2017 | Career
Langston Ballet flats – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
It’s Love Day, people, and in the name of all the mushiness and sentimentality in the world right now, I’m making my Wear to Work pick all about love too…These ED Ellen DeGeneres Langston Ballet flats from Nordstrom are a cheerful (and cute) reminder to live, laugh and love all the way down to your toes. The original embroidery on this classic and comfortable shoe adds all the charm to it, and is sure to turn heads…
I also like this red Lilliane cap-toe version pictured below. In a similar style, these Roger Vivier graffiti patent leather ballet flats are a show-stealer too!
Let’s love each other (and chocolates)!
Lillian Cap-toe ballet flats – Photo credit: shopstyle.com
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
