Even though, as a businesswoman, I'm known as Your Real Life Fairy Godmother™, I’m not the froofy, wand-toting, sprinkle-you-with-sparkles type.
I’m more Tiffany’s meets Harley—helping women channel their inner fashion rebel and rule breaker to live life on her terms. With style.
Because here’s the thing: you can be classy without playing nice. You can be bold and confident without being labeled, well … if you're a woman in business, you know what I mean.
But even fairy godmothers get their own transformational moments and happily ever afters.
For me, one of those moments came yesterday when I received notification that my WOSB (Women-Owned Small Business) certification was approved.
People who know me know I’m a bit of a certification magpie. I collect shiny certifications like tchotchkes. Learning has always been part of my DNA—it’s my happy place.
But this one hit differently. When I saw the approval, it didn’t just land in my inbox—it landed in my soul.
Why? Because as a literary feminist, I studied real stories of women told they couldn’t write, vote, own property, or work outside the home. Not fiction—truths that reminded me that, not long ago, even sitting in a college classroom was a glass ceiling women weren’t allowed to shatter.
Not so long ago, women like me wouldn’t have had the chance to graduate college, retain custody of their children after divorce, or, yes, own a business.
And even though I wasn’t raised in the "dark ages," I was raised hearing things like, “You need to stop getting degrees and get a husband.” I grew up in a culture where women’s work was treated as supplemental—a side gig, not the main event.
The message was clear: It’s a man’s world. A dog eat dog world. Women can visit it, but we can’t own it. (It's why I now speak passionately about how women can Lead Like a Lioness and Navigate the Corporate Jungle with PRIDE.)
I felt that message keenly at one of my first jobs.
I was the only woman on faculty. At one of our first faculty meetings of the year, when they announced a faculty softball team, I eagerly raised my hand. I loved sports! But the fellas fell awkwardly silent and glanced at each other before one of them said, “It’s not a co-ed team." Then his face lit up as he got this great idea: "But you can come cheer with our wives!”
Uh . . . thanks, but no thanks.
So yes, the WOSB certification is another shiny thing to add to my collection. But it’s also a symbol of something bigger:
It’s evidence that hard work isn’t gendered. That business ownership is for everyone. That women can lead, succeed, and thrive on their own terms.
For me, the WOSB designation isn’t just about checking a box—it’s a reminder of where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Women are capable—capable of leading, of building, of thriving on our own terms. It’s time to take those glass slippers off and shatter the glass ceilings that have held us back for so long. We’re not just breaking barriers; we’re rewriting our stories—as protagonists and heroes in our own lives, not just sidekicks or supporting characters.
Here’s to all the women out there rewriting the rules.
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