SimplyBe. Agency | A Hawke Media Company’s Post

The mobility of women has a direct relationship with her decision-making. In traditional societies, women were confined to the homes as domestic responsibilities were considered their primary duty. The worth of a woman was determined from the taste of food she cooked, clothes she cleaned, and how well she took care of all the household work. Also, it has been observed that the breadwinner has been given the dominant position in society. As a result, women had to be submissive and dependent on the male counterpart, which has affected her decision-making in life. Her decisions have been confined to her domestic work. Today, a lot of women are actively participating in the work force as a result, they have started taking other responsibilities and decisions of the outer world also. But many housewives even today have to ask for permission from their family to go out even to run small errands. A woman is considered safe if any male member of the society is accompanying her. If she is going out with her father, brother, or husband, it is often heard that she must have gone for some work, whereas if she has gone out with her sister or a friend she is seen as going for something unimportant and unnecessary like shopping. A housewife who prefers to stay at home is given a lot of respect, especially in joint families. Whereas, a woman who gives importance to her freedom is looked down upon. Things are changing, and so is society, but these small hurdles often become a reason for a woman's happiness. Today, we see many women overcoming these problems with a lot of grit and moving towards what makes them happy.

For my community, for women, I hadn't anticipated discussing this, mainly because: 1. We all know it's not good for business. 2. I wouldn't know what to say. For as long as I can remember, I can't recall a single time I've been left so speechless. The American elections have left me unsettled over the past week, leading me to question whether I'm the only one feeling this urgency. It feels like (or is it just what it is) my time, rights, and freedoms are at risk, compelling me to consider accomplishing everything i want, in every sphere of my life, within the next year. Is pursuing and rushing ambitions a wise approach? My psychotherapist answered me with: If you let them take up all your mental space, they've already won. You can’t fight battles both within yourself and in the world at the same time. Since then, I've been reflecting on the best way to respond to something so daunting and surreal, and I still don't have a definitive answer. It sure served as a giant and heavy reality check, motivating me to harness my fears for progress rather than allowing them to paralyze me, but to what price? When things get shaky and scary, i guess it is important to stay grounded and not let outside chaos take over your mind. Using our energy from our fears to push us towards growth and actions, instead of letting it control us. By preserving our energy, we can use it later when we'll need it most, and that's something nobody should be able to take from us. I know these words comes from a place of privilege, but I really believe it’s important for all of us to find some inner peace (especially me). Only then can we truly come together and work toward a better future. I know it can feel overwhelming, but if you're feeling that urgency, that rage rising within you, as much as I’d hate for it to silence you, don’t let it become your focal point. Use it to propel yourself forward, but don’t get lost in the rush. ps ; if you're a man and you read to this point : please use your voice too, even on linkedin, to support the wonderful buisness women out there who may have been frozen for the past few days. 💕

As Black women, we often pour our energy into others—our families, careers, and communities. While this generosity is powerful, it’s essential to remember that we deserve to invest in ourselves just as much. Prioritizing our own growth, well-being, and development is not selfish; it’s necessary for our long-term success and fulfillment. Investing in yourself can mean pursuing personal development, setting boundaries, or taking time to nurture your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. By doing so, we not only strengthen our ability to give, but we also build the confidence and resilience needed to thrive in a world that often undervalues our contributions. Let’s make it a priority to invest in our own growth—because when we thrive, everyone around us thrives too. 💫 #InvestInYourself #BlackWomenThrive #PersonalDevelopment #SelfCare #Growth www.blackanddainty.com

The personal is political... was an old feminist saying I learned as a young woman 💜 The aspect of it that hit me then, was about embodiment of this... It has been overwhelming, taking on board the range and gravity of stories of violence and dehumanisation to women in the news this past few weeks Rebecca Cheptegei 💔 Gisele Pelicot 💔 Kristina Joksimovic 💔 Just to name a few high profile and shocking individual cases. Then there's the systemic, society-wide stories. Been a long time since I've been stopped in my tracks like this, and I've never felt moved to write a post like this on LinkedIn... I started teaching some women friends a bit of Tai Chi recently - yes, for health benefit, meditative effect, general wellness... but the other benefit is how it can help with understanding power in our interactions. Here's Miriam Webb and Cathy Presland doing 'four directions' - learning to redirect an incoming force without needing to be physically stronger than the other person. Afterwards over lunch we talked about all the ways we still experience micro scale power abuses that are gendered - particularly at work. It's time to learn more, faster, about how to change these power dynamics. Tons of women have posted about those violent acts and society-wide abuses in recent weeks - and shared their horror and fear. Last week I saw 3 men post as brothers and allies. We know we can't always alter the individual cases, or big scale stories. But where we can make change is in our daily interactions. It would be great to see more men proactively helping to change the power dynamics at work. It would be great to see more women able to redirect power effectively. Nobody actually loses if we change - we all just get to use our energies to better effect. I dream of that better future for us all 💜

Women have been socialised differently to men. Because of that difference in socialisation, women today often live in a frenzy of friction between who they are and what they want with their innate nature as lovers and fighters, versus the socialising to be the Good Girl and be all things to all people. So much of my work as a coaching champion for women in midlife is helping them understand the context of their struggle to juggle it all, rather than constantly thinking they are failing by not meeting the preposterous expectations put upon us. When you understand the context, it means you can work for yourself, instead of against yourself. Women have been socialised to be agreeable and then we lose ourselves in the others around us.  And one of the places where I have landed in terms of meeting the context where it is and keeping my sense of self is grounding. In my latest Your Midlife Matters column, I explore how grounding means you can take a moment to discern what do I want? versus what is expected of me? I'd love to know your thoughts!

It’s our #1 “go to” as women…..we don’t have time…… We have all the time in the world for others in our life, but when it comes to us, we give ourselves none of it. Here’s the real deal…..You DO have time for yourself…you are just avoiding it. WHY?? Most likely because you don’t feel worthy enough, good enough, like you don’t deserve it, or maybe it’s just that you feel hopeless that you’ll ever be where you want to be so why even bother…. I hear this regularly from my female coaching clients. They feel stuck and usually tell me it’s due to lack of time. But it’s not…and we talk about the root of why they are blaming time vs really healing the root of what’s going on. So the next time you tell yourself that you don’t have time for YOU. Think again. Think about what’s really going on. Ask yourself questions like “why don’t I have time to do this for myself” and see where the honest thoughts lead you. Need help with this exercise? Message me or drop “time” in the comments and I’ll help you breakthrough this barrier to loving yourself more!

Why Do Women Have to Choose? It’s a question that haunts so many women today: Why do we always have to choose? Career or family, purpose or profit, ambition or peace of mind. We are constantly pressured to live in a world of "either/or" instead of thriving in the fullness of “both/and.” From the moment we step into adulthood, society begins to pile on expectations. We're told to chase success, but at the same time, to never neglect our roles at home. We are asked to climb the corporate ladder but reminded that doing so might come at the expense of our family, our health, or our sense of self. And what happens? Women often sacrifice. We choose family over career. We pick purpose over profit. We shrink our dreams to fit into the box society has created for us. We settle for survival instead of living fully in the purpose God intended.   But is this what God wanted for us? Absolutely not. God didn’t design us to be suffocated by societal norms, external pressures, or limiting beliefs. We were created to live in the fullness of His promises, to pursue our deepest desires, and to walk in the purpose He has placed inside of us. We were made to be everything He called us to be—wives, mothers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries—without feeling the need to apologize for it. So why does the world tell us we can’t? Why does it force us to choose? Why choose when you can be all that you were created to be? What does success look like to you? #UnlockingYourWealthPower  

A lot of women out there — especially moms — place themselves last on their own personal priority list. We sacrifice our wants and needs for the sake of our partners, our kids, our family — all in an attempt to be the best we can be for the people in our lives. However, putting others first without taking care of ourselves acts against the goal we're trying to accomplish. Eventually we burn out. We can't be the best version of ourselves for our family if we're drained. So, I implore you: BE SELFISH. Being selfish is empowering. By definition, “selfish” means self-serving, or basing your decisions solely on how it affects you—no one else. Most of us have a harder time putting ourselves first than we’d like to admit. We feel pressured to say ‘yes’ to things we don’t want to do, and put personal goals on the back-burner while giving our time to our job, friends, and family. A lot of the time we think we’re making decisions that are self-serving, but are really driven by how we assume it will affect those around us. It’s time to mentally re-define “selfish” to its true, empowering definition of making decisions in your best interest — and get away from “selfish” being a negative thing. #mom #momguilt #empowerment #empower #success #personalgrowth

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem: Empowering Women to Thrive Low self-esteem is a pervasive issue that affects many women, impacting various aspects of their lives, including personal relationships, career choices, and overall well-being. It manifests as a lack of confidence, self-doubt, and a negative self-image, often stemming from past experiences, societal pressures, and internalized negative beliefs. A woman with a low-self-esteem have a negative self-Image having an unfavourable view of herself. She focuses on her perceived flaws and overlooks her strengths and achievements. Sandra lost her jobs on 3 occasions and she began to have a negative or low-self esteem, hers stemmed from her past experiences and internalized negative beliefs. She began to see myself as a failure. She started having the thoughts of “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do anything right.” When she enrolled for my course in January on how to boost her self-esteem, this is one of the exercises that she did. She started by recognizing and writing the negative thoughts and beliefs she holds about herself. She asked herself, “Are these thought based on facts or assumptions?” Often, negative self-perceptions are exaggerated or unfounded. She replaced negative thoughts with more balanced and positive ones. For example, instead of thinking, “I always fail,” she reframed it to, “I have faced challenges, but I have also had successes. Then, she wrote down her successes and she discovered that they were more that the challenges, but she was just focusing more on the challenges. She began to celebrate these successes and blows herself a kisses. She started looking at herself in the mirror and saying to herself “I am worthy,” “I am capable,” and “I deserve happiness.” She has been on this over six months and there has been tremendous improvement in her self-esteem. Past experiences like bad relationships, bad marriages, divorce, abuse, parental criticisms or high expectations, body image among others have led to low self-esteem in women. Overcoming low-esteem is a gradual process that requires patience, persistence, and self-compassion. The journey to a positive self-esteem is ongoing, and every small step forward is a victory worth celebrating. Dr Bim Cares 🥰.

Instead "find a man to protect you".... What an irony!!! in the highly patriachal society we have. What is this whole thing of love drama and negative energy from men when women succeed? #GenderBasedViolence is taking a toll. So now, should women stop dreaming and chasing their dreams? We cannot earn a piece of cake and eat it in peace because a man by us wants it? We cannot chase a star, take hold of it and smile at its glitters because a man by us has more energy or "power" to take it away? Don't women deserve beautiful and great things? Don't women deserve the podium fragrance? Don't women deserve those medals? Don't women deserve those leadership roles? Don't women deserve good opportunities? My mind fails to process this whole thing. Rebecca is not the first nor the 4th woman athlete to be killed, and their dreams crashed. Many more dreaming and doing women have been denied the chance to live their dreams. And how is a man supposed to convince a woman that "all men are all not the same"? 🙄 We need a paradigm shift from the pit of pity and the extremes of inequality engraved in cultures, norms, beliefs, and even in policies when it comes to the peace of women in the society. There is some difference but the pace of its occurence it too slow! for how long are women going to try and hide behind violent partners? Mental health continues to drown many young people as more issues of economy, love, technology and life in general overwhelm their hearts. Where is positive peace in this? There maybe no guns involved but when the hearts of people are overwhelmed and unable to keep the body running soberly, things are never the same. This is the most dangerous part of peacebuilding/peacecrashing. This is too much brokenness 💔 Go thee well Rebecca. ©Girl of the African Soil 🌍