E33 - Women Dominating STEM

11/02/20 • 53 min

What do Forbes 30 Under 30: Science, MIT Tech Review 35 Innovators Under 35, and L’Oreal USA for Women in Science all have in common? They’ve all spotlighted Ritu Raman for her incredible accomplishments in STEM. And now Empowered Women Series has joined the club!

Ritu Raman is a biohybrid engineer and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Langer Lab at MIT, and she brings a fresh new perspective to the typically male-dominated STEM field of biology. Ritu’s innovation and critical thinking have set her apart in her field, and we here at EWS are particularly impressed by Ritu’s self-branding and powerful presence.

This intelligent and well-spoken scientist discusses her background in STEM, how she grew up immersed in science and research, and how she would love to see more females in STEM. She also gets candid with us, sharing barriers and why she feels there are fewer females in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

Having strong female proponents within STEM is one of the first steps towards achieving equality in the field, and we extend a huge thank you and congratulations to Ritu for all that she has accomplished. She’s definitely someone to keep your eye on and learn from... she’s working hard to continue her successful career path!

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E32 - Inclusivity for Real

Ever had trouble putting on your bra? You just couldn't clip it correctly, or it dug into your rib the whole day? Now, think if you had a disability and there was absolutely design consideration given to designing your bra... how would you manage?

Inclusivity isn't a box to check on a corporation's must-have list. It is a mentality, it is the way you think about and perceive those around you. Let's improve our perception and help others improve theirs. If we want to succeed as a humanity we need to promote inclusivity in all parts of life.

Emma Butler, the CEO of Intimately.co, is doing it better than the rest of us. She created a company that designs lingerie for female-identifying people with disabilities, focusing on functionality as well as fashion. In last week’s episode of Empowered Women Live, Emma shared with us what inclusivity looks and feels like for real and what we can do to be 100% inclusive ourselves.

She explained the inspiration behind founding Intimately.co and how she is motivated by customers’ stories of feeling comfortable and confident in their new lingerie. Emma’s powerful dedication to inclusivity as well as her empathy for all make her a strong woman to learn from, and we highly recommend that you check out her company’s website, Intimately.co, where “Getting dressed has never been easier.”

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E34 - Maintaining a Growth Mindset

It’s so easy to get bogged down in your day job and repeat mindless tasks just to get the job done. But what will take you to the next level in your career, and also in your personal life, is maintaining a growth mindset in everything that you do.

Anne-Fleur Vaartjes, a Risk Analyst at Morgan Stanley, is living an adventurous, travel-filled, curious life and she seeks out opportunities to enrich her growth mindset wherever possible. She shares with us that having a growth mindset is important for your career but also to live your life to the fullest and make the biggest possible impact on other people.

A simple way to maintain a growth mindset in the workplace is to listen and observe others around you - not only what they’re saying, but how they’re saying it, communicating, displaying body language, and emphasizing tone, explained Anne-Fleur. This will help you to build relationships, learn new skills, deepen your knowledge of your industry, and progress in your career - without even taking any extra time out of your day!

We hope that you enjoy learning from Anne-Fleur’s career advice as much as we did, and remember - always maintain a growth mindset!