The Library

HOW I BECAME MY OWN VERSION OF POWERFUL

301 words by Aleks Sztemberg

I always thought that to be powerful meant to be tough “like a man.” Speak with dominant language, a loud voice, and get openly angry when I don’t agree with something. 

When I realized that I am not advancing upwards in my career – only sideways – I looked into the experiences of my male colleagues along the way. I wondered how one becomes a C-level executive with less experience or knowledge than I have had?

In my last role, I started acting and communicating “like a man.” I was direct and not afraid to speak my mind. I was very open about my professional … continue

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Embracing my new Self

301 words by Garance Moulin

I was on track. After a business school diploma, I started my professional life as a financial controller. As I juggled my career and my family, I worked my way up to financial director. I wanted responsibilities and to enjoy my work.
I was the Program Director of a big IT project. More than 100 people. Millions of euros. I was dedicated and not sparing my efforts to make it work. My team was strongly relying on me to lead the way, make decisions, and give them motivation. I was working with the company employees, turning reluctancy into enthusiasm. And at home, I was raising … continue

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AM I GOOD ENOUGH?

301 words by Scarlett Fajardo

I’m passionate about making a positive impact and enjoy the professional success I’ve achieved so far. Nevertheless, I have often asked myself “Am I good enough?“.
After every promotion, I worried that I might fail and felt the need to prove that I deserved it.
When I talk with friends about this, I realize that many others – especially women – experience the same self-doubt. Why is it that even successful women – women I admire – feel this nagging doubt?
Maybe it is the perceived assumption that we were chosen to fulfill a quota. I often feel that society expects more of women. This … continue

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DAY ONE

301 words by Maria-Christina Tsitsopoulos

May 22nd 2019, the first day in my new job. My dream job. A job I wished for since I was a young girl. A job I had no idea how it would really be. Would it fulfil my expectations? Was I going to be any good at it? A job I couldn’t quite believe I had landed in the moment that I did. Now those first days blur into one. The feelings of excitement and adrenaline that come with every new beginning. The feeling of anxiety; was I doing things right, was my employer going to like me. I still couldn’t believe the journey … continue

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3 – 0

301 words by Marie Demont

“Are you f*** out of your mind!?”. I paused. I thought. I responded “Ok! Let’s go”, to my now-husband when he suggested we travel to Mexico instead of me accepting the internship I had just received from Coca-Cola in Madrid. On the scoreboard: Guts 1 – Brain: 0. It became an enriching experience working for the UN, while exploring Latin America for the first time, learning Kick-boxing, and making lifelong friends.

Years later, after having my first child, I was ready to go back to work. A safe job where I had proven myself, in an industry I had worked in for 8 years and … continue

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TAKE OFF YOUR ARMOR AND THRIVE

301 words by Katarina Stoltz

As a teenager my strongest belief was “life is a struggle” and I was miserable. I hustled for worthiness by getting good looking guys to like me. I toughened up on the outside, grew weaker on the inside and exaggerated my alcohol consumption. By my late 20s I had armored up so badly that I lost touch with the happy girl I used to be.

Then, I got hired as a photographer by one of the world’s biggest news agencies. My ego was thrilled! A few years later, I was at the top of my career when I suddenly found myself on the bathroom floor in … continue

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A CRISIS OR AN OPPORTUNITY?

301 words by Ping Ping Wen

Does this sound familiar to you: I wake at 6:00am to prepare breakfast and
lunch for my two elementary-age kids, then sit at my desk from 8:30am to
6:00pm. The busy life is suddenly on pause since Toronto is in
confinement due to concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19. A
different level of stress has hit me, as it has many other working women.
Stress of exploring new technologies; setting up my home office; becoming
a part-time teacher and supervising kids’ study while also working;
worrying about parents, and the pandemic’s financial impact.
Many challenges have suddenly appeared in our lives; life has certainly… continue

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THE TRUE POWER OF BEING FEMALE

301 words by Susie Kahlich

In 2000, I was living in Los Angeles, working on becoming a screenwriter. I
love storytelling, and I’ve always wanted to tell stories to the world. But one
night in July, I became the victim of a violent crime. It lasted only a few
minutes, but it changed the course of my life. As part of my recovery, I
started training in a martial art called Ninjutsu – the art of the Ninja. It
started out with a desire to learn to defend myself better, but as my training
continued, I found that I had a pretty natural capacity for a lot of the stuff … continue

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Letting Your Intuition In

I had just arrived to Berlin. I was hustling; searching for work.

I attended a meetup group through an organization called ReDi School. It was a nice group of about ten people. I was nervous, as I usually am when entering a new environment, let alone a new country.
There was an outspoken woman in the group that caught my attention early on. I had an intuition that she was someone I should get to know. We had a couple exchanges through the conversation. I was insistent on getting her contact info so I got her attention before she scurried out the door in a rush. On a cut-up piece … continue

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The Graduate

This month marks almost four years since I graduated from university. When I think back to those four years compared to the last four years… oh, a lot can happen. Since graduating, I’ve lived in two countries and had four different jobs. I have friendships and relationships that span generations and geographical areas.
I have stretched and adapted myself in ways I never could have predicted. I have questioned so much. Sometimes, I wonder where it all came from. I mean, I was always a cautious young girl who preferred safety and comfort over risk, but once I finished up university things shifted. The world became my stage; I could … continue

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Good bye Dear Sister

My heart broke today. It’s probably the gazillionth time it has done so. Each time it’s a new cut, each time the pain is different.
I met my old school nun, she is 94. I was lucky to meet her, or maybe I wasn’t… it would have spared me this fresh wound; nevertheless, I met her, albeit briefly. The sisters came down from Murree and were enroute to Toba Tek Singh. The half hour window in between was what I got. Mother Andrew lives mostly in the past, luckily she recognised me, said “ah Amber, I have missed you”… but then was talking to the Amber I was more than … continue

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Sometimes I just want to be a bloody tourist

„Where are you from“, said the Israeli guy in a small souvenir shop in Tel Aviv conversationally as he put my set of kitschy postcards into a bag. I gave him an awkward smile. Hesitant, apologetically.
„Germany“, I said.
„Germany!“, he repeated and handed me my change. „You don’t look deutsch, though. You look Middle Eastern. You sure you not Israeli?“
„Well“, I said, my awkward smile becoming awry, „that’s because I am Middle Eastern indeed. Not Israeli, though.“ I thought he could figure it out himself by now.
„So you’re Arab“, he inquired, his face becoming stern. This conversation was getting weird now.
„Palestinian“, I said. „Half of me.“ … continue

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