For years, women-managed funds have outperformed their all-male counterparts. And this is not new, with women's tendency to do better than men at investing going all the way back to the early 1990s. So why is it that only roughly 5% of Venture Capital (VC) partners are women?

Meet Shila Nieves Burney, Mariah Lictenstern, and Rachel ten Brink, three women who have topped VC/entrepreneurship charts with accolades that are constantly growing-- a single post couldn't completely describe.

But more importantly, they've always held their beliefs and who they are central to their work.

Their experiences resonated so much with me because their drive is unmistakable and inspires everyone around them-- including myself.

Some of us may shy away from being our true selves in industries where women are underrepresented.

These three women haven't, and it's made them all the more successful and influential as venture capitalists, advocates, and leaders.

Here's what you'll learn from this Mastermind Panel on Redirecting the Trajectory of VC Leadership:
- advice from successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists on hustle and drive
- how changing the trajectory of women leadership in VCs can transform business and the economy for the better
- what you should know if you want to start your own fund and change the face of VC.

Listen & Subscribe in the Comments.
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They call her the velvet hammer, although she admits that she’s lost some velvet and is a little more hammer now.

Meet Stacey Kinkead, a Technology Executive with over twenty years of experience in building companies from the ground up in e-commerce, marketplaces, mobile, and healthcare. 

Her passion for helping others led her to pioneering technology solutions in healthcare, bringing us one step closer to making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. 

In this episode, we dive into Stacey’s entrepreneurial roots in Amazon.com when it was only a 3-year-old startup, her passion for tackling big, hairy, complex problems, women’s rights in the workplace, and her advice on redesigning an unnavigable career growth system for women all around the world. Listen in to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success. 

Some key takeaways we love: 

-How lending out a helping hand has shaped Stacey’s purpose in life

-Finding pathways in obstacles

-The power of self-advocating 

-What Stacey believes needs to change in the healthcare system

-Dealing with inequality in the workplace takes redesigning an unnavigable system

-How bold statements can lead to bolder results

- And, why we need more female-founded startups 

Follow Stacey on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceykinkead/

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She is a financial powerhouse who strives to promote the highest standards of education, ethics, and professional excellence in the investment industry. Meet Margaret Franklin, CFA, the first woman President and CEO of CFA Institute, a global not-for-profit organization providing financial literacy to professionals worldwide. Shockingly, Margaret’s entrance into the investment management industry was completely accidental, and on the show, she dives into what led her there. She talks about the power of saying yes and finding what you're good at and sticking to it. Margaret also mentions how mentorship can be used as a tool to leap forward in your career. Listen in to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose.

Follow Margaret on Twitter: @CFAInstituteCEO

Quotes We Keep In Mind:
“I think you just have to be very clear about what's important to you, not to let other people tell you, or determine what's important to you.”

“Everything you did gets you to where you are today right now”

"If you love what you're doing, I'd say carry on."

MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling

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Investment Banking? Skydiving? The only thing they seem to have in common is- risk, something Melanie Curtis, Executive Director of the Women's Skydiving Network, co-author of three books, and co-host of Trust the Journey podcast, has learned to embrace with grace. Risk is terrifying. Like many of us, Melanie faced fears about her ability to support herself by doing the thing she loves. It was not until she quit her job and took the leap into full-time diving that she discovered her potential as a prominent skydiver and leader in the community. How does she do it? In today's episode, Melanie *dives* into how she overcame impostor syndrome, how she heals herself, and how she has carved out a career path in the midst of fear. Listen in to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and take some positive risks!

Follow Melanie on
Facebook and Instagram: @melaniecurtis11
Youtube: @melaniecurtiscom

http://melaniecurtis.com/
http://trustthejourney.today/
http://highlightskydiving.com/
http://www.womensskydivingnetwork.org/

Quotes We Keep In Mind:
"It [Skydiving] absolutely has gotten easier. It's not that the fear or the anxiety is gone, totally. But it absolutely gets easier with iteration."

"I've continued to be relentless on anything that I want to do."

"So when I jumped, and I landed, and I was not dead, right? It was like my brain was fundamentally altered, in the sense that not all you can do anything, but anything that I'm afraid of, or I think I can't do, I have to at least question whether that's true or not."

MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com

Audacity-- that's what Tiana Clark lives by. She tells us about her audacity to join the air force at age 19, to continue pursuing her college degree while deployed, to interview for a corporate job that had already extended an offer to someone else, and then rewrote the job description. What values do you live by? On the show, Tiana dives into how she embodies audacity in her day-to-day life. She talks about how to overcome feelings of inferiority in male-dominated industries, how to step into self-advocacy as womxn, and even shares her tips for landing jobs over more qualified candidates. Want in? Press play to listen in to Mind The Ceiling to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success.

Follow Tiana on twitter: @tianasclark
Check out Driver Seat Experience, which launched in mid-September!

Here’s what you’ll learn from Tiana:
- How Tiana found purpose after being orphaned at a young age
- What Tiana does to keep a high vibrational mindset
- Tiana’s tips for landing jobs over more qualified candidates
- How to overcome feelings of inferiority in male-dominated industries
- How to step into self-advocacy as women
- Her advice for dealing with phone addiction and social media
- And more...

Join the Mind The Ceiling Movement:
MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling
MIND THE CEILING  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling
MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com

She was the first female Partner at Zero Capital, a leading fintech VC firm. The face of #MeToo on Wall Street. And that's just from the past few years of her life.  Meet Lauren Bonner, an inverter and operator, driving measurable change. 

On the show, Lauren dives into how she made big career-altering decisions. But that's not all: for any current or future entrepreneur out there, this show is meant for you. Lauren gives insight into who and what she invests in, shares her hard-earned advice for anyone launching a venture, and discusses how to build and lead successful, outperforming teams.  Want in? Press play to listen in to Mind The Ceiling to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success. 

Follow Lauren on Twitter: @laurenbonnernyc

Quotes We Keep In Mind
"Fishsticks!"

"Everybody asks lots of stupid questions. So who cares? I had teachers who would never allow me to say, this might be a stupid question. That's what gave me the fearlessness-- to always put myself out there."

"I thought it was just absolutely off the wall crazy to go from, from nonprofit to finance... but okay, I'll give it a shot. And so that's how I ended up in finance."

"How can I be useful here? Both with my time and my capital."

Join the Mind The Ceiling Movement:

MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com

She was the first female Partner at Zero Capital, a leading fintech VC firm. The face of #MeToo on Wall Street. And that's just from the past few years of her life.  Meet Lauren Bonner, an inverter and operator, driving measurable change. 
On the show, Lauren dives into how she made big career-altering decisions. But that's not all: for any current or future entrepreneur out there, this show is meant for you. Lauren gives insight into who and what she invests in, shares her hard-earned advice for anyone launching a venture, and discusses how to build and lead successful, outperforming teams.  Want in? Press play to listen in to Mind The Ceiling to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success. 

Follow Lauren on Twitter: @laurenbonnernyc

Quotes We Keep In Mind
"Fishsticks!"

"Everybody asks lots of stupid questions. So who cares? I had teachers who would never allow me to say, this might be a stupid question. That's what gave me the fearlessness-- to always put myself out there."

"I thought it was just absolutely off the wall crazy to go from, from nonprofit to finance... but okay, I'll give it a shot. And so that's how I ended up in finance."

"How can I be useful here? Both with my time and my capital."

Join the Mind The Ceiling Movement:

MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com

Season 2 of Mind the Ceiling!

This season features incredibly candid conversations on making hard choices that lead to a more equitable workplace, building the world you want to live in, and jumping out of planes for justice.

I am honored to have had the chance to chat with these fearless womxn on how they are charting new paths, leading organizations, and fearlessly doing it with passion and purpose.

If you need to catch up on season 1, you can listen now!

How do you build the world you want to live in? Not only does Nathalie Molina Niño, technologist, investor, writer, and all-around advocate, have an answer but she is taking steps to create that just world. From day one, Nathalie has been relentless in using every opportunity given to her, from brokering deals to buy her first car, which led to her first business, to using her success to advise multinational companies and foundations, influencing the global economy. On the show, Nathalie dives into how you can find success while still pushing for justice and how storytelling has been her superpower even in the tech and investing industries. Listen in to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success.

Follow Nathalie on Twitter: @NathalieMolina
Instagram: @nathaliemolinanino

Quotes We Keep In Mind
“I stopped using the word empowerment, a while ago, because it reminds me of things like when people talk about giving voice to the voiceless. No one is voiceless right? And what we need to be doing is removing the things that are silencing them.”

“My culture is a big part of where my power is.”

“You can fall into a place of complacency and just be like well that's just how it's always been. That's hopelessness at work and that's in some ways the culture that keeps people marginalized.”

Join the Mind The Ceiling Movement:
MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN COMMUNITY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling
MIND THE CEILING  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling
MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com

Season 2 of Mind the Ceiling launches next week!

This season features incredibly candid conversations on making hard choices that lead to a more equitable workplace, building the world you want to live in, and jumping out of planes for justice.

I am honored to have had the chance to chat with these fearless womxn on how they are charting new paths, leading organizations, and fearlessly doing it with passion and purpose.

Don't miss these conversations starting this week:

Lauren Bonner - Investor & Operator
Nathalie Molina Niño - Known Holdings
Tiana S. Clark, The Audacious Commander - Drivers Seat Experience
Stacey Kinkead - Technology Executive
Tamara Horton -Studio Samuel
Margaret Franklin, CFA - CFA Institute
Melanie Curtis - Women's Skydiving Network

If you need to catch up on season 1, you can listen now!

She launched the first female-founded distillery in NYC and was the first solo female distiller in the United States. Within five years of the launch, she formed a strategic partnership with Proximo Spirits, and finally sold the company to launch mission-driven Rockaway Drinks.

Meet Bridget Firtle, a serial entrepreneur and investor in a highly male dominated industry-- spirits. Even if your industry of choice is different, everyone has a lot to learn from Bridget. On the show, she talks about confidence and how she cultivated her own from an early age. Bridget also shares important tips about finances-- personal and for any new business. With a hurdle-heavy path to purpose, Bridget reflects on some of the toughest personal challenges she faced in her career that have shaped her life today.  Listen in to hear how you can harness the power of your purpose and discover the tips ceiling breakers have used to find success.

Follow Bridget: @bridgetcfirtle
Follow Rockaway Drinks: @drinkrockaway

Quotes We Keep In Mind
"A lot of times you're more smart, more prepared, and more capable than the person you're sitting across the table from."

"So anytime that I'm doubting myself, I'm constantly having conversations with myself. And I'll say like, Okay, I'm not ready to make a decision on this yet, but keep talking to yourself about it. Stay calm, and you will get clarity on the decision. And then you'll have a decision."

"Humility is important, no matter how capable you are."

Let's break ceilings! Join the movement: 

MIND THE CEILING LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mindtheceiling

MIND THE CEILING SHOWNOTES: http://mindtheceiling.com