What Women of HR Means To Me

Nothing stays the same. Just when things are getting comfy and start to settle into a routine, something comes along that shakes things up a little. The latest shake up for me is co-founding Women of HR.

Women of HR, conceived as a place for women to share information and discuss issues that impact our lives, is evolving right before my very eyes: 

  • Co-founder Trish McFarlane, envisions this as a place where women and men contribute ideas about the way gender affects business and other issues for women.
  • Co-founder Shauna Moerke dishes subversion and calls women to challenge the status quo and hold firmly to ideals and morals despite overwhelming pressure to give in.
  • Contributor Lois Melbourne offers that "maybe the distinction is more a matter of the perspective of women then specifically female exclusive issues."

Women of HR is a little different for everyone. The one thing that brings it all together, and the reason I am a co-founder, is community and collaboration. Who couldn’t use a little more community and collaboration in their lives? 

It's inspiring to see posts come in from the Women of HR contributors and to have a first hand glimpse at what's on their minds. The posts and the conversations are helping me to frame up what Women of HR means to me. It's not about HR and it's not about raising my daughter. It may be about ideas that transcend my day to day, about broader societal questions, or simply about moving through life as a woman - which is anything but simple.  

I have this drive to define, organize, quantify, and grasp and I can't do that right now with Women of HR. It makes me a little antsy and I'm ok with that. I am ok with standing on the edge of the unknown because something amazing is about to happen. And that's exhilarating. 

 

BlogHer '10 Ticket Winner

I have an extra BlogHer ticket and I am giving it away.

I put it out there last week and here's the cool thing about social media - and free stuff. I was introduced to five very cool women: 

  • A medically savvy Mom of two and wife to the sweetest Hubbie on earth and owner of two fur babies of the feline persuasian blogs at Pop and Ice. She'd like her favorite male blogger, her husband, to join her at the conference.
  • Artist Vicki Boatright, known as “BZTAT” (pronounced bee-zee-tat), specializes in whimsical drawings, paintings and prints of companion animals and blogs at BZTAT Studios. She is trying to learn half as much as her cat does about blogging.
  • Lorraine Woodward, aka Little Miss Tottenville, blogs at I want to love YOU better whatever it takes and says she is a good blogger who could be a GREAT blogger with some help . . . and it's her dream to attend a BlogHer conference.
  • Sarah blogs at MainLineMoms.org and is dedicated to supporting a community for Parents in the Main Line Region. She'd like to attend to learn all she can on behalf of her sister, Ann Marie, who blogs at Household 6 Diva from Germany, building a community of military spouses from around the globe.
  • Maria, a NYC based recent college graduate and aspiring wordsmith/ entrepreneur, is about to launch a co-blogging site and support group for early stage tech entrepreneurs by tapping the experiences of others to share resources and advice.
  • Shannon Myers, posts occasionally on Walton Search and for other recruiting sites and speaks at recruiting conferences, is starting her own blog after contemplating doing so for years. She is also building a site for women to connect locally in her county.

And the ticket goes too. . . Sarah at Mainline Moms. Sarah's  committment to building a community to support moms with little ones and Ann Marie's committment to building a community of military spouses - it all hit too close to home for me to pass up.

Sarah, enjoy BlogHer and send your cliff notes my way!