Feminine Voices: True Stories by Women Transforming Leadership

"The world will be saved by the western woman," His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at the Peace Summit in Vancouver, 2011. The eighteen women authors in this book give you a glimpse of what it looks like when the western woman explores and discovers herself as a leader. The women share stories of transforming their leadership styles in work, parenting, health care, recovery and love. They challenged themselves to become more visible, to share their unique gifts, to offer new ideas, to heal old wounds and to take inspired action. Their stories demonstrate what is possible when Western women take their place as leaders in the world. From the Foreword by Mary K. Baxter: "Eight years ago, I collaborated with a fellow theatre artist to begin a new theatre company. We had this crazy idea to bring actors to disenfranchised communities to work with kids and teach them storytelling skills. Together we wrote a business plan, built a website, made a budget, auditioned actors and organized a project for a group to travel to Zimbabwe. While there, we had a challenge that required a meeting with our hosts. I don't remember the words that were said in this meeting, all I can speak to is how I felt. I felt small. I felt like my voice didn't matter. I felt like I would ask a question and the response would be directed to my male partner. I felt out of place. I felt that my ideas were irrelevant. I felt like I didn't belong, that I should be in the kitchen cleaning dishes, that my contribution to the conversation was null. What I do remember is that I stayed in the room and contributed to the solution and I was the person on our team who implemented the plan. This is why this book is relevant. The eighteen authors in this book all have their own unique experience gaining and reclaiming their voice of leadership. Our voices matter." Your Voice Matters, too