Success — Diary of a gender advocate

Every other month I host a 30 person dinner for women leaders. Last week’s dinner was co-hosted by the legend that is Norma Kamali, and the theme: Aging With Power And Purpose. Why does society make women feel past their prime after a certain age? Why do so many women talk of feeling disposable or irrelevant past 40, especially when the evidence is to the contrary.

For example, when two MIT professors tapped into census data in 2018, they found the average age of founders behind successful technology startups is 45, and that a 50-year-old founder is twice as likely to be successful as a 30-year-old. A 60-year-old founder, meanwhile, is three times as likely to be successful.

So many women are proving the adage ‘life begins at 40’ by powering up their careers, starting new businesses and utilizing all the experience and wisdom that comes with age. Norma Kamali is a case in point and left us feeling all fired up about our next chapters. She's been in business 50 years, owns her company with no debt, met her soulmate at 65 and has a ton of amazing new creative projects in the pipeline including a new skincare line NORMALIFE. Bring it on!

Forbes Self Made Women

Today, Forbes published its annual list of America’s richest self-made women. It featured many of the usual subjects, some welcome reminders, a few surprises and a plethora of inspiring stories about some of the smartest and most tenacious women in the world.

Highlights include the self-made originator Oprah Winfrey, who transcended poverty and abuse to become the most powerful woman in media; Jin Sook Chang, the co-founder of Forever 21 who emigrated to California penniless, with little education and scant English; Carolyn Rafaelian who was inspired by her Armenian grandfather’s journey through Ellis Island to found Alex and Ani; Spanx’s Sara Blakely who went from selling fax machines door to door to starting her own company with $5000; Theresa Gouw Of Aspect Ventures who emigrated from Indonesia age three and was one of the few in her high school to go on to higher education and Sheila Johnson, a violin teacher who went on to co-found BET.

Whenever I’m tempted to give up, reading their stories reminds me that anything is possible.