04/29/2026
I’ve been reflecting on two moments—one at the very start of my journey as a nonprofit founder, and one more recently after a conference—where I reached out hoping to connect with fellow female founders.
To preface, I’m very familiar with scheduling through assistants from my graduate school experience, so that part wasn’t new to me. In both cases, I coordinated through assistants, and because priorities changed, the calls were rescheduled.
When the meetings finally happened, it was the assistants who joined in place of the founders. I appreciated their time and professionalism, but I left both conversations feeling…small. Like perhaps I wasn’t quite worth the time or attention I had hoped for. I also realized afterward that I never actually heard from the founders themselves, not even a brief note, which added to that feeling in a way I didn’t expect.
At the same time, over the years, I’ve been grateful for several founders, many of whom happened to be men, who did make the time to speak with me when I was very much a “small potato.” Of course, this isn’t a blanket statement about women or men, but the contrast has stayed with me.
It’s made me reflect on the idea of “worth”: who gets it, how we signal it, and how we show up for one another.
Programs that celebrate women’s achievements are important (e.g., L'Oréal Paris' ). But I’ve been wondering: what does it look like to carry that spirit into our everyday actions? How do we continue to uplift one another in ways that go beyond recognition—through time, conversation, and genuine connection?
I don’t have the answers. But I do think it’s worth talking about.
