Widerman Malek, PL’s Post

We’re proud to announce that Highlight founder and CEO Dana Kim has been named to Inc.’s 2024 Female Founders 250 list! 🎉 For Highlight, #IWD is more than one day or month out of the year. As a female-founded, minority-owned company, we prioritize investing in women–the support of our female-first investors like HearstLab and Ingeborg Investments help make this possible. As Diana Ransom, Executive Editor at Inc. Magazine said, celebrate this win today, but “most important, pay it forward. Mentor more. Help and nurture your team and fellow founders when possible, too. Your insight and advice need to be shared.” That’s what we at Highlight intend to do. We’re celebrating this award today–and all the Female Founders that made Inc’s list!–and we’re looking forward to continuing the work tomorrow, next week, next year and beyond. You can see the full list of winners here: https://lnkd.in/dxNmqcgM

What an incredible night of powerhouse women for our PEWIN - Private Equity Women Investor Network Houston chapter dinner. Haley Vyrostek and Eriell Delgado were incredible partners for the event, planning and helping with every detail. We even got to celebrate Tamika Tyson's birthday! We brought together some of the most senior women LPs and GPs for an intimate discussion where we covered everything from: - What makes someone a good investor? (Intellectual curiosity, listening/asking questions and not letting the outcomes of decision color if the decision was good or bad) -Using founder personality assessment tools. (Potentially a roadblock if used improperly and only in screening but could be powerful to know about team blind spots) - What everyone was excited about in 2024? (More deals happening, deeper relationships, general macro uncertainly going one way or another) Thank you Stephanie Campbell, Sandy Guitar, Samantha Lewis, Brett Ashley Barth, Mallory Gibson Baker, Faridah Usman, CFA, CAIA, Rushana Cypert, Jennifer (Jenny) Gottschalk, Kathleen M. Burke, Veronica Wu for making it such a vibrant discussion!

On today's pod we talked to Sophia Danner-Okotie, founder of Besida, an online African clothing stores. She shared the importance of organizations that fund Black owned and women owned businesses. Listen to the full pod: go.redwine.blue/nu1

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Fundraising to save lives is mighty important. How does the American Heart Association save lives? The American ♥️ Association, for example, helped my town get AEDs installed in all fitness and senior centers. The American ♥️ Association, for example, works with schools across the nation to teach CPR, when to use it, and how to think about ♥️ health when headed to college (so important!!). There are so many personal stories, and so many examples. Join us as we kickoff Go Red season on 11/4, run by the incredible Danielle M Fagan. 2 things: 1. Register and attend https://lnkd.in/eY9snMZU 2. DM me or Danielle with what you can share by way of time, talent or treasure as we get into this event. Vacation home weekend giveaways and gift cards are popular, hint hint.

Can we talk about Jotaka Eaddy, Founder of #WinWithBlackWomen and the impact of starting your own business? I am inspired by the momentum I have been witnessing since last night and the impact of 44,000 Black Women jumping on a Zoom and raising over 1.5 Million for Kamala Harris' campaign. But I am most impressed by the impact of using your talents, skills, and natural GIFTS to impact the world. Go Jotaka! Start those side hustles!!!

The power of 3 is well documented. Let’s go Corporate America. Let’s “lean in” to more women on your boards!

🎉 To the white women who showed up—YOU are leading the charge! 🎉 I want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible women who attended the RAARE Woman Collective Town Hall Summit. Your presence, vulnerability, and commitment to this work are exactly what’s needed to drive real, transformative change. By showing up, sharing your stories, and embracing the discomfort of growth, you are truly leading by example. We were guided over the past two nights by Dr. Nikki R. and Karen D. Smith Butler, two incredible Black women leaders who lead with love, compassion, and grace. They not only educated and supported us but reminded us of the urgency of this work. Racism and hate impact each and every one of us—regardless of our skin color—and the cost is something we can no longer ignore. Hearing the stories of the women of RAARE was a powerful reminder that racism has stolen something from each of us, and it’s time to take action. Together, we have the power to advance racial equity and create a world where racism can no longer live. We are incredibly grateful for the leadership of these strong, visionary women who guide us in this mission with such compassion. 🌱 For those who missed the summit: You can still join us on this journey! Become part of BREO, our membership community that offers ongoing education, resources, and support. The work continues, and we need every voice in this movement. Visit our Website https://lnkd.in/gwcrSyhs the videos from the summit will be available there. ✨ New this year! We’re launching BREO Peer-to-Peer Meetings, creating a safe space for women to come together, share, reflect, and grow. This is where real connections happen, and where you can keep taking action toward lasting change. To every woman who stood up, spoke out, and committed to advancing racial equity—you are showing the world what true leadership looks like. Let’s continue to lead, act, and create the change we want to see. Together, we are unstoppable. RAARE Woman Collective 💪💙 #RAAREWoman #LeadWithCourage #RacialEquity #WomenWhoLead #CommunityPower #RadicalAction #BREO

These last two days were incredible. I knew when God gave me the vision to start the RAARE Woman Collective that this would be the most powerful and unprecedented experience for: 💣Women who were already leaning into their understanding of how racism works. 💣Women who had read all the books, watched all the movies and had completed as much independent study as they could, but didn’t know what to do with any of it 💣Women who are paying attention to the impact that racism has had in their own lives, the relationships that it has stolen, the friendships that it has eviscerated, the grandchildren that you can no longer see, the daughter or son-in-law that is not accepted by other family members 💣Women who are angry and disappointed at the state of affairs regarding race relations in our country, but know better than to lead in their advocacy work with that same anger and disappointment, 💣Women who are hungry for the language and resources to reframe how they realize impact… RAARE connects with women as leaders, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousin, community volunteers, best friends…consciousness, curators and influencers. We lift you AND your work wherever you are. We ask you to simply reflect on the spaces and places you already are: your home, your workplace, your community, and start your racial equity advocacy there, where you ostensibly already have critical “know, like and trust” currency. Uplifting white women who have a desire to understand the power they have in just their proximity to other people who, on the topic of racial equity, must be moved. Giving them the language, change management strategies, supportive community, tools, attributes, mindset strengthening and norms,to assure success as an advocate in this most precarious doctrine. And with all of that as foundation, you develop your annual racial equity plan that we support you in executing. Are you a white woman interested in a grace-centric approach to radical action advancing racial equity? Then join us in this incredible sisterhood.We are unmoved in our work to create a world where racism can’t live. The best first stop is our BREO subscription. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eJV2A62b

Looking forward to the Minnesota Women Lawyers Annual Meeting tomorrow! Here are my goals: (1) Meet 3 women I've never met before. (2) Take 20 selfies with attendees--I'm coming for you Debra Pexa, Katie Gunaratne, Kayla Kienzle, Sarah Soucie Eyberg, Jill Prohofsky, Mary Szondy, Poonam Kumar, Emerald Gratz, Molly Hough, Esq., Allison Cole Jenny Robbins, Maliya Rattliffe, Elaine Mikel, J.D., Kelly Clark, Allira Sharma, Julie L., Dani Engelhart, Lori Johnson, Amanda Oliver, Jordon Greenlee. (3) Stand in awe during Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson's Keynote. (4) Connect two attendees with two other attendees they've never met before. (5) Get some traction for a new affinity group I'd like to form. Ask me about it! I'll report back and let you know how I did. Will you be there? What are your goals?