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Rewriting the Rules: How Marilynn Joyner Is Reshaping Career Access for Women
Episode 25th August 2025 • #WisdomOfWomen • A Force for Good Inc.
00:00:00 00:42:05

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In our new episode we are joined by by Marilynn Joyner, the Founder and CEO of Her Workplace, an innovative AI-driven platform dedicated to empowering women professionals.

Marilynn shares her extensive experience navigating the male-dominated realm of commercial real estate, which catalyzed her commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for women.

Through Her Workplace, she facilitates over 1,500 AI-powered connections monthly, addressing the pressing need for mentorship and professional development among women in finance, technology, and other professional services.

This discussion not only highlights Marilynn's personal journey and the pivotal moments that shaped her vision but also underscores the critical importance of fostering community and collaboration among women to catalyze their success.

Our Guest This Week:

Today we have an AI-Fueled Changemaker in our midst!  

Marilynn Joyner is the Founder & CEO of Her Workplace, an AI-powered career and networking platform built to empower professional women through mentorship, connection, and growth. With over 12 years of experience navigating the male-dominated commercial real estate industry, she saw firsthand how traditional systems failed to serve ambitious women—and decided to build something better. Marilynn holds dual MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School, as well as a Master’s in Real Estate from Georgetown University. She is a visionary founder, dedicated to building inclusive ecosystems where women can rise, lead, and thrive.

Takeaways:

  • Marilynn's journey illustrates the challenges women face in male-dominated industries and the necessity of mentorship.
  • Her Workplace serves as a transformative platform for women, offering AI-driven resources for professional growth.
  • The podcast highlights the significant impact of community and networking on women's career advancement.
  • Marilyn's insights reveal that self-awareness and understanding one's values are crucial for career fulfillment.
  • The transition from corporate to entrepreneurship showcases the importance of adaptability and innovation in women's professional journeys.

Chapters:

04:09 Marilynn's Journey to Entrepreneurship

13:05 The Journey to Curiosity and Authenticity

15:42 The Journey to Entrepreneurship

24:40 Pivoting Towards Technology: A New Era of Support

29:56 Empowering Women Through Technology and Community

39:21 Empowering Women in Career Spaces

Burning Questions Answered:

  1. Why did Marilynn leave a fast-track corporate path toward becoming a Fortune 100 CEO?
  2. What inspired the launch of Her Workplace?
  3. What’s the key to Marilynn’s success in pivoting her business model?
  4. How does Her Workplace use AI to create real change?

Favorite Quotes:

“Discipline doesn’t have to come at the cost of self-improvement.”

“You can’t build what women need by guessing. You have to ask, listen, and test.”


Guest Offers & Contact Information:

https://www.instagram.com/marilynnejoyner 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynn-elise-joyner/ 

https://hercareercollective.substack.com/

https://www.herworkplace.com/ 

Social Media: @herworkplace

Newsletter Opt-In: https://herworkplace.myflodesk.com/pn0oak5ong 


Follow the #WisdomOfWomen show for more inspiring stories and insights from trailblazing women founders, investors, and experts in growth and prosperity.

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/yja3w7nh

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4tak8ajk 

Amazon Prime: https://tinyurl.com/366syddj 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/bdhananz 

RSS Feed: https://feeds.captivate.fm/womengetfunded/ 

Coco Sellman, the host of #WisdomOfWomen, believes business is a force for good, especially with visionary women at the helm. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, she has launched five companies and guided over 500 startups. As Founder & CEO of A Force for Good, Coco supports purpose-driven women founders in unlocking exponential growth and prosperity. Her recent venture, Allumé Home Care, reached eight-figure revenues and seven-figure profits in just four years before a successful exit in 2024. A venture investor and board director, Coco’s upcoming book, *A Force for Good*, reveals a roadmap for women to lead high-impact, high-growth companies.

Learn more about A Force for Good:

Website: https://aforceforgood.biz/ 

Are Your GROWING or PLATEAUING? https://aforceforgood.biz/quiz/

FFG Tool of the Week: https://aforceforgood.biz/weekly-tool/ 

The Book:  https://aforceforgood.biz/book/ 

Growth Accelerator: https://aforceforgood.biz/accelerator/


Transcripts

Speaker A:

Welcome to the Wisdom of Women Show.

Speaker A:

We are dedicated to amplifying the voice of women business.

Speaker A:

A new model of leadership is emerging and we are here to amplify the voices of women leading the way.

Speaker A:

I am your host, Kurt Lazella, five time founder, impact investor and creator of the Force for Good system.

Speaker A:

Thank you for joining us today as we illuminate the path to unlocking opportunities and prosperity for women led enterprises by amplifying the voice and wisdom of women.

Speaker A:

So today we have an AI fueled change maker in our midst.

Speaker A:

Marilyn Joyner is the Founder and CEO of Her Workplace, an AI powered career and networking platform built to empower women professionals through mentorship, connection and growth.

Speaker A:

With over 12 years of experience navigating the male dominated commercial real estate industry, she saw firsthand how traditional systems failed to serve ambitious women and dedicated herself and her company to building something better.

Speaker A:

orkplace now facilitates over:

Speaker A:

Marilyn holds dual MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School as well as a Master's in Real Estate from Georgetown University.

Speaker A:

She is a visionary founder dedicated to building inclusive ecosystems where women can rise, lead and thrive.

Speaker A:

Welcome Marilyn.

Speaker A:

Thank you.

Speaker B:

I'm so excited to be here.

Speaker A:

Oh, it's so great.

Speaker A:

And I know you are leveraging the power of networks and community in your work and I cannot wait to unpack all of it.

Speaker A:

But as you know, I always like to start out with a book has been written by a woman and has significantly influenced your life.

Speaker B:

Yes, I would say that a recent release by Mel Robbins, the Let Them theory has really shifted something for me.

Speaker B:

It reminded me that not everything or everyone deserves your energy and it really gave me that freedom to lean into building something meaningful, focused on women and focusing on the things that give me that positive energy and focusing on the things that really fuel me.

Speaker B:

So I really love that book by her.

Speaker A:

Oh my goodness.

Speaker A:

I love this book too.

Speaker A:

I, I've, I listened to it on audiobook and while going to the gym and I have to take you.

Speaker A:

It really released something in me too this idea that you choose to give your energy to things and you call it perfectionism or caring or whatever but really it's just a story you make up about where you're spending your energy.

Speaker A:

So I love that you suggested this book, Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins.

Speaker A:

Awesome.

Speaker A:

Tell us.

Speaker A:

I would love to hear more of your personal journey life journey.

Speaker A:

What brings you here to this place?

Speaker A:

If you could share with us.

Speaker A:

Looking back at your life, those moments that shaped the person you are, created the belief sets that you have and fostered resilience, courage, empathy, whatever is driving you most these days.

Speaker A:

You could give us that personal story of your journey.

Speaker A:

We would love to hear about those three big moments of your life.

Speaker B:

Yes, definitely.

Speaker B:

I would say that there were several moments throughout my life and career that have led me to where I am today.

Speaker B:

And it's really, it's a fun exercise to look back and see that there were little inklings of that push to leave corporate and become an entrepreneur.

Speaker B:

I had spent over 12 years in commercial real estate brokerage, which is a heavily male dominated industry and space to be in.

Speaker B:

And I remember very early on in my career working for one of the top firms.

Speaker B:

I had just been hired, I was in my mid-20s.

Speaker B:

Every morning I would wake up early and take a hot yoga class.

Speaker B:

I would rush home, get suited up in my heels and lipstick and get into the office before anyone else.

Speaker B:

I remember one day I was again one of the first people in the office.

Speaker B:

And my boss comes in and comes immediately up to my cubicle, kind of hovering over me in a really nice suit, slimmed back hair.

Speaker B:

He says to me, if you want to make it in this industry, I want you to be the first one in and the last one out.

Speaker B:

That moment really shaped my work ethic and taught me that discipline doesn't have to come at the cost of self improvement.

Speaker B:

And this is something I kind of had to unlearn later on.

Speaker B:

But I was in these moments a lot where primarily surrounded by men, them giving me advice and I took and absorbed everything that was said to me and given to me.

Speaker B:

And later on I learned that I didn't need to listen to everyone else.

Speaker B:

What I really needed was listening to myself.

Speaker B:

And I spent years building my career, really embedded in this hustle culture.

Speaker B:

I had my eyes set on becoming a female CEO of a Fortune 100 company.

Speaker B:

That was my goal.

Speaker B:

After spending years in the industry, I struggled to climb the corporate ladder.

Speaker B:

Lacking opportunities for mentorship, struggling to find sponsors.

Speaker B:

I worked really hard, I put my head down, but I just wasn't seeing the results.

Speaker B:

I decided to get an advanced degree.

Speaker B:

I had already gotten my master's from Georgetown.

Speaker B:

I love to learn and given that I wanted to get into the C suite, I thought why don't I go to business school?

Speaker B:

I just moved to New York City, so this is my late 20s.

Speaker B:

I lived in Washington D.C. before transferred with my firm to New York and decided to go to Columbia Business School in a global program that partnered with London Business School.

Speaker B:

And in school, I took this class that was focused on personal leadership.

Speaker B:

And the majority of the class was how to redefine or find what your values are and aligning those values with your career goals.

Speaker B:

And I had never really known what my values were in this environment of serving other people and listening to what everyone else was saying and following that career path that my boss had set for me, one that I had not set for myself.

Speaker B:

So it was that moment that I realized my values of mentorship and resilience, happiness and persevering didn't align with this Fortune 100 that I was working with.

Speaker B:

Whereas their values were more about staying stagnant and following the rules.

Speaker B:

And so that was kind of the second piece of am I in the right career?

Speaker B:

There's all these incredible people that I'm surrounded with in my class that have had robust careers where they've pivoted and experienced new things.

Speaker B:

And here I was in this box of only being in this one industry.

Speaker B:

So that was the second moment, and then the third was getting that courage to leave.

Speaker B:

And that took time.

Speaker B:

It actually took me two years to leave corporate to then embark on becoming an entrepreneur.

Speaker B:

It was little moments of working with someone new in my firm that was also building a business outside of our everyday work as commercial real estate brokers.

Speaker B:

And it was his mentorship that led me down this path of I don't have to follow what everyone else is doing.

Speaker B:

I can create a career of my own and I have autonomy over my own career and the things that I want to do.

Speaker B:

It doesn't have to look like having one job that's a 9 to 5.

Speaker B:

It can look like many different things.

Speaker B:

I was building up that courage and confidence that really gave me the opportunity and the chance to leave corporate and start what her workplace is today.

Speaker B:

The way that it began was I had an opportunity to take this physical space in New York City to host a ton of events bringing women together.

Speaker B:

And that opportunity came from my commercial real estate experience and my relationships.

Speaker B:

And so I started testing things of what do women want?

Speaker B:

What do they need support with?

Speaker B:

Where are these, like, safe, brave spaces where women can show up as their authentic self and share knowledge and share their stories?

Speaker B:

And from there, it just took off.

Speaker A:

That's wonderful.

Speaker A:

I think we all run into pockets of our lives where everybody gives us advice, right.

Speaker A:

And tells us what to do.

Speaker A:

And this moment when you decided to listen within, it's hard to do that.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

It takes some courage.

Speaker B:

Yes, definitely.

Speaker B:

And what's so funny is looking back, everyone would say to me, listen to your gut.

Speaker B:

In my 20s especially, I didn't even really feel like I didn't know necessarily what that meant.

Speaker B:

And I think a lot of it was I didn't necessarily know who I was.

Speaker B:

I didn't know my values, I didn't know what my goals were.

Speaker B:

I had my eyes set on, okay, here's my ten year plan.

Speaker B:

But I didn't have that support and that mentorship and those people that I really looked up to that could help me get there or even help you.

Speaker A:

Reflect on whether or not the place you were going to really made sense.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

I understand this idea.

Speaker A:

The goal to be a woman CEO of a Fortune 100 company.

Speaker A:

It was your vision of your greatness at the time.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

But you had limited perspective in your early 20s of what your greatness could be.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker B:

Yes, yes.

Speaker B:

And so like that was, you know.

Speaker A:

You'D seen a few things in the world that could represent women in her greatness, and that's what you said.

Speaker A:

This is my goal.

Speaker A:

I did the same thing.

Speaker A:

I wanted to be a doctor just because I had no other ideas of, of what to do.

Speaker A:

And you have like five ideas when you, when you're young.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

And that young that time.

Speaker A:

I know your community serves women in their 20s and 30s and 40s and beyond, but you really home in on that time.

Speaker A:

I hear people say all the time, just be yourself.

Speaker A:

Well, how do you be yourself?

Speaker A:

What does that even mean?

Speaker A:

When everything feels.

Speaker B:

Uncertain, looking back, and this is something I live by every day now.

Speaker B:

I love the word curiosity.

Speaker B:

I wasn't curious back then because I didn't really have the opportunity or the space to be curious.

Speaker B:

I was put in this box, this system.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

And following these rules that were not meant for women.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker B:

And now everything that I do, I lead with curiosity because that opens the door for new opportunities.

Speaker A:

Beautiful.

Speaker A:

So the curiosity is something that you can get comfortable with and that you've developed.

Speaker A:

It was safe to be curious finally.

Speaker B:

Yes, exactly.

Speaker A:

And so I also appreciate that you love to learn, and even all of this learning and degrees didn't do it all for you.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

It still didn't make the doors open for the CEO of a Fortune 100 company.

Speaker A:

That path still was obscured in some way.

Speaker A:

What I say more about that because I feel like that's something that we do.

Speaker A:

We try to make ourselves better.

Speaker A:

We're not enough, so we make ourselves better.

Speaker A:

Not to say that getting master's degrees, not good I think it's great.

Speaker A:

And you had a pivotal moment in one of the classes where you found yourself thinking about your values.

Speaker A:

But there is that sort of feeling that you're not enough, so you have to keep making yourself better, right?

Speaker B:

Yes.

Speaker B:

Yes.

Speaker B:

I mean, in most rooms, I was often the only woman.

Speaker B:

And, you know, these were rooms where decisions were being made, and there wasn't that room of opportunity for diverse perspectives and voices.

Speaker B:

So, yes, I felt like I had to go out and beef up my resume.

Speaker B:

The reason why I went to business school was most of my clients were CEOs.

Speaker B:

I really wanted to not only specifically build my relationships and my network in New York City, I also wanted to get inside their heads of, okay, what are they thinking when it comes to office space and growing their talent and finding the right physical environments for their companies?

Speaker B:

What's really interesting is I came out of business school with a completely different result.

Speaker B:

I went in saying, oh, I'm here to build my network and learn more about what my clients are thinking.

Speaker B:

And I left.

Speaker B:

I'm going to leave corporate and become an entrepreneur.

Speaker A:

Wow.

Speaker B:

That was really pivotal for me.

Speaker B:

Business school, advanced degrees are not for everyone.

Speaker B:

I would never say you have to get this to get to that next phase.

Speaker B:

It's different across industries, but for me, it really shifted and broadened my idea of what I wanted my career to be.

Speaker B:

Be.

Speaker B:

I remember sitting in class, meeting the other students, hearing about their careers and journeys, and it was not linear.

Speaker B:

Here I was in a linear career path.

Speaker B:

It gave me that confidence and courage to say, I want to try something else.

Speaker A:

Yeah, okay, so you thought about it, and then you made the leap.

Speaker A:

And so what did that look like?

Speaker A:

How did this begin?

Speaker B:

What were you when you were designing your.

Speaker A:

Your ideas for her workplace?

Speaker A:

What.

Speaker A:

What was going through your mind?

Speaker A:

What were the challenges you wanted to solve?

Speaker A:

What was the vision of the brighter world you were creating?

Speaker B:

Yeah, so this was coming out of the pandemic.

Speaker B:

So I. I had finished business school during the pandemic.

Speaker B:

That gave me a lot of time and space to be creative, to think, to build a business plan.

Speaker B:

No one was leasing office space.

Speaker B:

And that's what I did.

Speaker B:

I was a commercial real estate broker, so it gave me that freedom.

Speaker B:

ve corporate until the end of:

Speaker B:

I really tried to make it work because I had some great people I worked with, and some not so great people worked.

Speaker B:

People that I worked with.

Speaker B:

But there was one mentor in particular that was becoming an Entrepreneur.

Speaker B:

And he kind of really guided me through, again, leaning into my values, really building an understanding of what it is I wanted to do, potentially building another company on the side or going full time entrepreneur, because he was navigating kind of the same path.

Speaker B:

So it all started with testing.

Speaker B:

And I'm a huge fan of test and learn.

Speaker B:

Whatever works, lean into it.

Speaker B:

Whatever doesn't work, abandon it as fast as possible.

Speaker B:

And that's how you continue to maintain speed when building something.

Speaker B:

And it started with these breakfasts and lunches where I would bring my friends together in corporate and ask questions of what do you feel like you're missing?

Speaker B:

Does your company support you?

Speaker B:

Do you have a mentor?

Speaker B:

What are you looking for in a women's network?

Speaker B:

And this is around the time when chief started to really get big.

Speaker B:

And you know, their focus has always been focusing on the C level, focusing on women leaders.

Speaker B:

And during that time, I thought a lot about what about women like me, what about the Gen Z and millennial corporate women that are in these stagnant environments?

Speaker B:

What is out there that supports them?

Speaker B:

And there really was nothing.

Speaker B:

So it was not only finding that market gap, but it was doing a lot of market research and digging into the data, getting feedback and finding what was missing from there.

Speaker B:

I had this opportunity to do all these events in New York and take this physical space to do those events in.

Speaker B:

And I hosted a pop up series where I did seven events over two months, bringing together over 250 women in New York City for these very intimate conversations on various topics of pivoting your career to building confidence.

Speaker B:

And what I found was there was such an increased need for these in person elements and programs that were more intimate and there was more of a need for a space and an opportunity to truly show up as your authentic self and have these real conversations which then garnered support amongst each other.

Speaker B:

So it really was a combination of doing market research and testing and then from there it really that was the foundation of what her workplace is today.

Speaker A:

Well, I love that you did seven events, you said in two months.

Speaker A:

And so that's a perfect example of quick, rapid test, right?

Speaker A:

Find out what people are interested in.

Speaker A:

See in those first seven, what people really love and what part of the structure works.

Speaker A:

You must have innovated every single time you did an event, right?

Speaker B:

Yes, we did.

Speaker B:

And it was all gathering feedback because those women that were there, the majority of them are still our customers today.

Speaker A:

Amazing.

Speaker A:

And so what was it that they wanted and needed?

Speaker A:

And how then did you grow your company to meet their needs.

Speaker A:

I was just talking to a founder last week about you have to fall in love with the problem, not the solution.

Speaker A:

And it just makes so much sense.

Speaker A:

So what was and I know you had a particular solution to begin with.

Speaker A:

You pivoted, which is what all founders should expect in the first two to three years.

Speaker A:

You should have two to three pretty big pivots by listening well to your feedback.

Speaker A:

So talk to us about the problems you found the customer wanted.

Speaker A:

So those millennial Gen Z women needed professional women.

Speaker A:

that has now led you to have:

Speaker B:

It's interesting looking back now because there were signs along the way.

Speaker B:

The beginning of Her Workplace when I was doing a lot of testing, I was more interested in building a virtual platform because there there wasn't.

Speaker B:

This is coming out of the pandemic.

Speaker B:

There weren't as many in person opportunities.

Speaker B:

But that side of things was starting.

Speaker B:

New York was starting to open back up again after those events that we hosted.

Speaker B:

The landlord of the space that I took over, a former women's co working space called the win, approached me and said what if you just took this every day and tried it out.

Speaker B:

And so I did.

Speaker B:

Her Workplace originally launched as a coworking community focused on women and I was going to redo what had been done before and failed.

Speaker B:

Because I had a commercial real estate background, most of my clients were in the shared workspace arena.

Speaker B:

I had represented the wing a long time ago.

Speaker B:

I had worked with Convene so I had a lot of experience in this space of shared workspaces.

Speaker B:

We took the space on a month to month basis.

Speaker B:

I was paying 80% below market rent through this new model that a lot of these operators were starting to utilize.

Speaker B:

It was all a test.

Speaker B:

We had one membership, access to the space to work, meet network and then we do programming and events.

Speaker B:

Everything from workshops, skill building to NETWORKING.

Speaker B:

Hosted over 350 events in six months.

Speaker A:

Wow.

Speaker B:

And tested this model and what I found was so we had 250 members in New York that we had scaled up in six months.

Speaker B:

But what I found out of that 250 members only on average were 13 of them utilizing the space every day.

Speaker B:

What we saw the most growth on was the networking was the storytelling opportunities were really the programs and events that we had cultivated.

Speaker B:

That was really the sign of do we want to be a coworking community.

Speaker B:

The mission has always been to provide networking opportunities and career resources for women, particularly those in corporate environments.

Speaker B:

So we Pivoted the business a year ago and moved out of this space and decided that we really wanted to lean into technology and build a platform focused on providing personalized access to mentorship from top leaders, career coaching, skill building workshops, curated resources, job opportunities and using AI to fuel that.

Speaker B:

We built the tech.

Speaker B:

We launched our tech platform in January of this year.

Speaker B:

Continuing to evolve and iterate, we still have the in person experiences and opportunities.

Speaker B:

I signed a deal with Tishman Spire, a large commercial real estate operator.

Speaker B:

It gives us and our members access to their spaces across the country.

Speaker B:

So we still have a little bit of that element of yes, you can meet, work and network in a physical environment.

Speaker B:

And we do a lot of in person events and programming that really supports the overall platform of resources that we provide.

Speaker A:

Just love that it's so smart and capital efficient really, because it's.

Speaker A:

I can't imagine what it was costing if it didn't.

Speaker A:

It wouldn't make sense.

Speaker A:

13 people per day, even if it was 80% below market value.

Speaker A:

Things are starting to change post Covid.

Speaker A:

You're not going to be able to keep that rent forever.

Speaker A:

So being able to adapt and expand your market beyond leveraging technology and what I'm also hearing, you're better able to lean into those specific challenges and still host events and offer this people piece.

Speaker A:

And by the way, what is it?

Speaker B:

Tishman Tushman's fire.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

That's huge.

Speaker A:

So you have locations that your members can utilize all over the country.

Speaker A:

It's not just New York, it's everywhere.

Speaker B:

That allowed for us to grow our platform not only nationally but now globally because people get these in person experiences and we also have the technology and the resources to support that.

Speaker B:

Since the pivot, we quadrupled our revenue and our growth.

Speaker A:

Wow.

Speaker A:

So since the pivot, you've quadrupled your revenue and your growth.

Speaker A:

And I would imagine your, your, your, your, your gross profit, your gross profit has to have gone up because your, because your cost of goods has gone down.

Speaker A:

Maybe you've invested in other things.

Speaker A:

So I don't know if you're more profitable overall, but it sounds like you've made a good pivot.

Speaker B:

Definitely.

Speaker B:

It was really leaning into the values of the organization.

Speaker B:

It was never about the physical space.

Speaker B:

We had incredible women interested in the coworking space.

Speaker B:

That was never the customer that we were looking to hone in on and serve.

Speaker B:

That's not where the hole in the market was.

Speaker B:

It was these corporate women who now most are going back to physical offices and have physical space to go To So it was more about leaning into our ICP and utilizing our values to continue down this path.

Speaker B:

Providing a technology solution that gives women the career resources they need.

Speaker A:

You mentioned the values of mentorship, resilience, happiness and perseverance.

Speaker A:

And you mentioned your ideal customer profile icp.

Speaker A:

So for your icp, what does she come to her workplace?

Speaker A:

What is, what does she hope to achieve?

Speaker A:

What are some of her specific goals at her workplace?

Speaker B:

Yeah, we provide a variety of opportunities and resources to our members.

Speaker B:

We are a subscription based membership and our members are with us to get access to opportunities and people that support their growth personally and professionally.

Speaker B:

For instance, we have over 50 C level mentors on our platform, primarily women.

Speaker B:

We have Rebecca Minkoff, the Chief Brand Officer of Starbucks.

Speaker B:

We have the CEO of Urban Stems.

Speaker B:

We have the COO of Expensify.

Speaker B:

So we have these amazing mentors that our members can book virtual sessions and calls with to get support and to build those mentor relationships.

Speaker B:

We have career coaching that our members can get engaged with.

Speaker B:

We have skill building virtual and in person workshops led by experts, mentors and career coaches.

Speaker B:

We have curated resources and job opportunities that our members can get engaged with.

Speaker B:

We have a community chat where you can share your stories, get real advice and build relationships.

Speaker B:

Lastly, we use AI to match our members to each other as well as all of these opportunities.

Speaker B:

So every week our members get matched with another member that is of shared interest or similar experiences in industry as well as they get matched to all of the programming and opportunities that we offer.

Speaker A:

So now you're into the world of technology, right?

Speaker A:

Not just community building and physical space.

Speaker A:

So I know from personal experience, as entrepreneurs get into stuff we've never done before, all the time.

Speaker A:

And it's just what we do, right?

Speaker A:

We solve the problems.

Speaker A:

So I'm curious to know now that you're in IT and you're seeing how AI is available to serve your community, how do you see technology reshaping the future of work for women?

Speaker B:

Yeah, I mean for us we use it to foster connection.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

Well as provide access to people and opportunities.

Speaker B:

Not necessarily replacing that really powers and fuels, for instance, that member matchmaking helps provide those personalized resources.

Speaker B:

Overall, we're serving these people and opportunities to our members on a silver platter.

Speaker B:

This is not one of those career resources, networks or platforms that you get involved with and it's so overwhelming.

Speaker B:

There's so many things going on, you don't know where to start.

Speaker B:

We're using technology to make it easier on the user and to ensure that they're getting matched with the people and the resources that really serve their growth.

Speaker A:

I love it for visionary women listening who want to grow companies with purpose and impact and scale.

Speaker A:

What advice would you give about building community that really elevates women, not just on paper, but in practice?

Speaker B:

Yeah, I would say.

Speaker B:

And I've learned a lot about myself throughout this.

Speaker B:

It's been 18 months, and I've really stepped into a leadership role.

Speaker B:

And one thing that I've learned, especially when building community, it's not about you.

Speaker B:

A lot of founders get lost in this because they're building something.

Speaker B:

There's a lot of excitement.

Speaker B:

They're getting pressed, they're getting eyes on them.

Speaker B:

And I think where some founders go wrong is they let that ego take over.

Speaker B:

Whereas when you're building a company, when you're building an organization, when you're building community, it's about the people that you're serving.

Speaker B:

You need to allow for them to build with you.

Speaker B:

And that's what we do.

Speaker B:

At her workplace.

Speaker B:

It's about our members, the people that support us.

Speaker B:

We're constantly gathering feedback.

Speaker B:

We're creating these opportunities where they feel like they have autonomy in her workplace and they're part of the growth.

Speaker B:

It's not about me anymore.

Speaker B:

It's about them.

Speaker A:

So I know that you're very data driven just based on everything you've said, and yet you're building a very intimate how do you manage yourself?

Speaker A:

Where do you feel like you leverage data versus where you leverage your heart?

Speaker A:

How is that part of your recipe for success?

Speaker B:

Yeah, I mean, what's so interesting is there's a lot of correlation.

Speaker B:

I'm the type of leader and founder where I follow the numbers because they really do tell a compelling story.

Speaker B:

As mentioned earlier, with the 13 people visiting the space every day that told a story of, oh, the focus is not on the space.

Speaker B:

The focus and the interest is on this opportunity to come together and support each other.

Speaker B:

So it really is finding alignment with following the data, but also listening to customer feedback and crafting what is that story you're seeing and what's the story they're telling?

Speaker B:

And alongside that, you have to have company values.

Speaker B:

You have to continue to reiterate those values as you go.

Speaker B:

And our values have remained the same throughout.

Speaker B:

Or feeling confusion or just unsure about where to go next.

Speaker B:

Go back to the values because that will guide you on the next steps that you have to take.

Speaker A:

It seems so light, frivolous, like, really.

Speaker A:

And yet I think that this is one of the superpowers of Women.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

It's like this rudder that helps us know what to do and where to go.

Speaker A:

Because, you know, for us it's important.

Speaker A:

I think it's important for women to have purpose and values.

Speaker A:

I don't think we're happy if we live without it.

Speaker A:

We're just going after shiny prizes and money.

Speaker A:

It just doesn't work for most of us.

Speaker A:

Do you see that there's a difference in your community about what women want and need in their careers and why their path is different because of it.

Speaker A:

How you get there is different.

Speaker A:

You experience that in your community.

Speaker B:

The majority of our members are women who are building their careers in corporate.

Speaker B:

One thing I've noticed is that there's a lack of autonomy.

Speaker B:

Even if you work for an organization, it's still important to have control over your career.

Speaker B:

You may have a boss that they're the ones that will give you a pay raise or give you the promotion, but you still have control over asking for it or leaving if you're not going to get that.

Speaker B:

So I think that's a missing piece that we're really trying to solve at her workplace is how do we elevate and support women to where they can build that confidence and build that autonomy in having control over their career growth?

Speaker B:

I think that's something that's really lacking.

Speaker A:

Great point.

Speaker A:

I think experience of women that I know and feeling that sense of constraint because everybody else is making the decisions.

Speaker A:

But to take your power back in your community.

Speaker A:

I have all kinds of options and choices, and there are things I have to do within the context of my job, should I choose to stay there.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

But then I have all these other places I can go to grow.

Speaker B:

Yes.

Speaker B:

And that's when being in networks like this.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

That's when that creativity and curiosity builds.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

Surrounded by other people that are doing different things, that have different experiences and that will open doors for you and opportunities.

Speaker B:

Whereas if you're just siloed, it's very difficult to have that vision of seeing your career in a different light.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

This is like the golf course.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

For.

Speaker A:

For the.

Speaker A:

For men, where you're able to see people you don't work with, getting to socialize with them, talk about what's going on in their life and business, and get advice from people who aren't living the same in the same little container you are.

Speaker A:

And as women, I think we don't talk enough about work and money and career.

Speaker A:

When we're together, we're talking about other things.

Speaker A:

Whereas the guys, they get on the golf course.

Speaker A:

And they talk business, they talk about what they're investing in, they're talking about promotions and introducing me to so and so.

Speaker A:

We need more opportunity and structured space to do that.

Speaker B:

Yes, definitely.

Speaker B:

And that's what her workplace is.

Speaker B:

That's another piece that I personally faced challenges with.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

Have also noticed is women don't support other women.

Speaker B:

There's not enough of that.

Speaker B:

We're working on ways to utilize technology, specifically integrating a gaming component inside of our platform where if women do certain things for one another and for the overall network, they get certain perks.

Speaker B:

There's way more room for improvement of women helping each other.

Speaker B:

And that was me.

Speaker B:

I had all of the women in my organization.

Speaker B:

We didn't support each other.

Speaker B:

And it's just, it's such a shame because you're right that men are very different on the golf course.

Speaker B:

They're doing deals and helping each other.

Speaker B:

How can we create an environment that does the same for women?

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker A:

So how can our listeners and watchers today, how can they learn more about her workplace and what you have to offer and dive right into her workplace?

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

So just a little more about us.

Speaker B:

We're a career resources platform that focuses on providing access to people and resources primarily for Gen Z and millennial women in corporate environments.

Speaker B:

Everything about us is on our website, herworkplace.com including the way that you can join to become a member of our network.

Speaker B:

We also have an incredible Instagram and TikTok account at her workplace.

Speaker B:

We're starting to offer more career advice and opportunities for you to engage and learn more about us.

Speaker B:

And you can also sign up for a newsletter.

Speaker B:

We have a newsletter that you can get engaged with through our website.

Speaker A:

Wonderful.

Speaker A:

Well, I encourage everybody to check out her workplace.com and get involved, get on the newsletter, see what's happening, dip your toe in, give it, give it a shot.

Speaker A:

And find new ways to connect with other like minded women and find ways to grow your career.

Speaker A:

Your confidence, your resilience.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

And.

Speaker A:

And enjoy.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Women are fun.

Speaker A:

I love being in the presence of other women.

Speaker A:

It just lights me up.

Speaker A:

It's a, it's reason why of course for good my platform, I decided to make it all for women.

Speaker A:

I love women entrepreneurs, founders, professionals because it's just fun.

Speaker A:

The view with smart women.

Speaker A:

So thank you Marilyn for joining us today on the Wisdom of Women show.

Speaker A:

Thank you for illuminating the path to unlocking opportunities and prosperity for other women led enterprises.

Speaker A:

We value your experience and wisdom for our listeners, our world changers.

Speaker A:

Be sure to follow like and share the wisdom of women.

Speaker A:

Show on your verb listening platform is.

Speaker A:

And to infuse more of your wisdom into your business, take the Growth Readiness Quiz at A Course for Good Biz Quiz and uncover where your insight is needed most in your cup.

Speaker A:

The world is made better by women led business.

Speaker A:

So let's go make the world a better place.

Speaker A:

Here's.

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