Interviews
Who Is The Most Powerful Woman In America?
Published June 25, 2009 @ 09:10AM PT
That is the question asked by the Air America Street Team yesterday to the citizens of New York. See what they had to say and then leave your answer in the comments.
Interview with Sisterhood Blog Radio
Published June 24, 2009 @ 09:05PM PT
Check out this interview I did tonight with Ananda Leeke who does Sisterhood, the Blog Radio Show. Here are some of the questions I answered, among others:
1. Tell the listening audience where you are from and about your background.
2. What does sisterhood and feminism mean to you?
3. Tell the listening audience about your work with Change.org's Women's Rights blog.
4. Why do you choose to do this work?
5. What issues are you currently writing about?
6. Share three lessons you have learned from your work with Change.org's Women's Rights.
Listen here:
The Feminist Queries: Suzanne Xie
Published May 13, 2009 @ 08:22AM PT
For today's Feminist Query interview, we have Suzanne Xie who is is an entrepreneur, environmentalist and CEO of Weardrobe.com. She co-founded Weardrobe in 2008 and is currently focused on democratizing fashion through web communities. Previous to Weardrobe, she worked at UBS Investment Bank in the Financial Institutions Group as well as in the Global Equities Asset Management Division at Goldman Sachs in New York and London. Additionally, Xie volunteered for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Women 2.0 in the city. Xie attended the University of Chicago where she received a bachelor's degree in Economics. She was born in China, grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Palo Alto, CA. You can follow her on Twitter @suzannez and read her blog here.
Why did you start Weardrobe.com?
It's a funny story. My original inspiration for Weardrobe was actually rather silly, since it was derived from my obsessive need to organize all my belongings - starting from my overflowing closet in college. I remember spending all night cataloguing every piece of clothing I owned into an Excel spreadsheet that I thought would make my life easier, key word being 'thought.'
The actual implementation of Weardrobe did not come until years after that though, when I was working in finance post-grad and reunited with my current cofounder in NY. We were both interested in how emerging web applications were solving basic problems, and revisited my 'original' closet spreadsheet. As we started to build Weardrobe as an online closet application, we began to layer on photo content and the community to allow people to share their unique styles. So, although the original inspiration was something quite simple, it has become much more about truly unique and personal expression through clothing. It's exciting to be building a community that encourages the democratization of fashion.
How do you think fashion allows women to express themselves?
Fashion allows women to express themselves in a range of ways - from how we present ourselves at work to how we dress hanging out with friends, though they can be completely unrelated. The beauty of women's fashion is that there is just so much diversity out there that there is no real baseline to start from. There's no definitive way these days for a woman to dress compared to in the past. This really allows each woman to distinctively decide for herself what message she wants to express with her choice of dress. The different design houses also offer a diversity of looks that resonate with different types of women. Whether it be CDG's distressed black and white designs or Rodarte's romantic flowy pieces, there is just a large spectrum of fashion inspiration out there.
What elements of feminism do you find in the submissions at Weardrobe? Any?
I wouldn't consider any particular submissions at Weardrobe feminist per se. However, I think that the women in the community on the site are open-minded and creative when it comes to expressing themselves through their personal style. Even women who might have a specific fashion style experiment a bit when it comes to remixing pieces and submitting to our themed contests. One of my favorites recently has been the best menswear look, where we saw a ton of inspiring outfits around dressing mens clothing on women. There's a very strong sense of self and fashion independence that we see amongst a lot of our users which resonate with some elements of feminism.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
I don't consider myself a feminist, but support many feminist ideals. I believe that women are and should be free to show and maintain their equality through their own actions and choices. Women are just as capable to pursue the same opportunities as men in many fields, and should be given the chance to do so without special preference. This, however, does not apply for every woman since some women choose more "traditional" lifestyles which are just as respectable. I may be quoting some form of liberal feminism without knowing it, but my beliefs about a woman's role in the family and society are constantly evolving as I personally evolve.
If you could ask women everywhere one question, what would it be?
What are you most passionate about, and what are you doing about it?
Sita Sings the Blues - Interview with Reena Shah
Published May 07, 2009 @ 09:25AM PT
The Ramayana, one of the two great epics of India, is a tale of sacrifice, duty and the responsibility above personal desire. In the story, princess Sita is portrayed as the epitome of female purity and virtue but suffers greatly for her convictions.
Here's a brief summary of a year in her life: She follows her husband Rama into exile and then gets abducted by an enemy king. She is imprisoned on his island but prays devotedly to Rama who eventually rescues her. Instead of welcoming her with open arms, Rama is suspicious of Sita's fidelity so she goes through a trial by fire to clear her name. When she emerges unscathed, Rama promptly banishes her from his kingdom. Talk about blaming the victim!
Sita Sings the Blues, which was directed, written, produced and animated by Nina Paley, is a beautiful re-imagining of this story. Paley's version blends the epic tale with a modern day love story told from Sita's point of view,
Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana.
I caught up with Reena Shah, who is the speaking voice of Sita in the film and who choreographed and starred in the film's dance-animation sequence.
You're a multi-disciplinary artist: dancer, actress, singer, choreographer - did you grow up performing?
At the age of 4, my mother took me to Classical Indian Dance Classes for Bharatha Natyam taught by the Late Indian Film Actress and Dancer, Padmini Ramachandran. She started an Indian Dance School in New Jersey in the 80's and I was one of her first students. I graduated from the Padmini Institute of Fine Arts in 1991 with my Arengetram at the young age of 13 and became a professional Classical Indian Dancer. I was also involved with traveling dance troupes as well. I was always a part of my school plays, as well as choral groups. I created skits and songs that my sisters and I would perform. I always knew performing was something I wanted to do in my adult life as a profession.
How did you get involved with the production of Sita Sings the Blues?
Nina Paley was looking for voice-talent for Sita Sings The Blues and started blogging about an upcoming audition for the project. I received the casting notice via a list-serve I participated in called - SAWCC (South Asian Womens Creative Collective). I emailed Nina, got an audition time and went in and read a few scripted lines of dialogue... a week later Nina called me and said she liked my voice for Sita's character.
Once we started working on recording the dialogue she had written, she asked me about musicians for the soundTrack. When my husband, singer/songwriter/composer Todd Michaelsen, took a look at what I was working on for Nina's movie, he was amazed at Nina's talent as an animator and was interested in the story. I told Nina, Todd would be interested in composing music for the project and she asked him to be the composer... to score it, and create original tracks/songs. The opening title track music was created after Nina described exactly what she wanted musically and Todd gave her various ideas. Once the title track was complete, Nina animated the opening sequence to the music. It's quite beautiful and epic. The music and animation work so well together.
Nina then asked Todd to compose the Fire Song - "Agni Pariksha." Todd came up with the melody and music, my mother- Laxmi Shah, wrote the lyrics in Hindi, and I sang the song and recorded it in our home studio out of our Brooklyn, NY apartment in Williamsburg. It was a wonderful experience all around to work with Nina, my husband-Todd, and my mom-Laxmi. You can download original soundtrack music from Sita Sings the Blues here: ToddMichaelsen.com
The film is directed by Nina Paley and is based both on her own autobiographical story and the Indian epic The Ramayana. What was it like working with a director for whom the story was so intimate?
Nina was great to work with and is such a talented artist. I was respectful of what she had gone through in her personal life. Out of that personal experience, came a piece of art that is so empowering, especially for women. Nina was open and honest about all that had happened to her. You see it in the film. It's inspiring to see such truth & honesty. Everything she did in creating the film took much time, love, and care. She devoted 5 years to making this movie. Its such a personal piece of art that many people have responded to or have related to.
Had you worked with female directors in the past?
What a great question! Yes, I have worked with a number of very talented female directors:
- Providence Filmmaker, Laura Colella cast me in her Indie film, "Stay Until Tomorrow."
- Universal Pictures' Feature "The Guru" directed by Daisy Mayer, where I was the Assistant Choreographer for the film & a Dancer on-camera.
- Ambika Samarthya cast me in her short film "After."
- I narrated the PBS 'Independent Lens' Documentary, "A Dream In Doubt", Directed by Tami Yeager.
Each female director was confident, open-minded, and passionate about their projects. They brought out the truth in the stories they were telling and were specific with me and yet gave me the opportunity to bring my own truth to these roles. I love working with female directors because they often have a sixth sense about life. I feel very connected to that sixth sense out of my own life experience & through my meditation practice. It allows me to really give an honest and pure performance. A director is so important and each one of these women brought out the true character in the story I was portraying. I hope to direct as well at some point in my career.
Was The Ramayana a story you were familiar with before you began this production?
Yes, as an Indian-American child born and raised in New Jersey, my parents made sure we knew of the stories they grew up with. They exposed my sisters, brother, and I to our traditional Indian culture with stories of The Ramayana and The Mahabharata.
How do you feel about this interpretation which is told mainly from Sita's point of view?
I think Nina Paley's interpretation from Sita's point of view is BRILLIANT. Relating her own experience to Sita's experience was her way to cope with what she was going through as a woman with the relationship she was in at the time. I know other women who have related to Sita's point of view, as well. With these stories, they know that they are not alone. The retelling from the perspective and interpretation from Sita was really special and beautiful for me. It's liberating! We all have a right to tell our own point of view of our own stories. Women have a voice and those voices and stories are shared to reveal the true emotions we go through. Our stories should be heard and I am always comforted to know that we are not alone in all of these sacred, personal experiences.
The film uses many different animation styles and features the singing voice of 1920’s jazz singer Annette Hanshaw. When preparing to do the voice of Sita, were you able to see the drawings or hear the music for the film first?
All of the different animation styles are awesome! Annette Hanshaw's voice is so pure and beautiful and I think that's what Nina heard in my own voice when I auditioned for her. Once, I landed the part, Nina did show me the animation sequences she completed to Annette Hanshaw's songs. Those lovely songs and Nina's creative animation helped me to be even more sweet and sincere in my portrayal of Sita's speaking voice.
You were roto-scoped for the dance-animation sequence that you choreographed in the film. What was that like - were you dancing in front of a green screen?
It was such a fun day of filming the dance-animation sequence. Nina filmed me in front of a green screen with the dance choreography I prepared for the "Agni Pariksha" song. She shot me dancing from different angles with my full costume on and towards the end of the shoot, she filmed me with my bodysuit, so she could get the outline of my full-body. It was genius to see what she did with the footage. She traced my entire outline by hand for every frame for each dance movement for the song. The "Agni Pariksha" sequence was really unique and one of my favorite parts of the film!
What's next for you?
This past March 2009, I just finished taking the LAByrinth Theater Company's Master Class for Writing, Directing, Producing, & Acting in New York City. The class with John Patrick Shanley inspired me to start writing and working on my One-Woman Show!
I also shot an Indie Film in 2006 called ASHES, which is the directorial debut of actor/performance-artist Ajay Naidu (Samir in Office Space), who wrote and stars in the film. I am also in a Rock Band with my Husband, Todd Michaelsen, called MY PET DRAGON. We started the band a few years ago and just signed an indie deal with GTS - Gimme That Sound Records.
I am always looking for creative projects to work on. An opportunity to give a voice to a story is what interests me, whether it be through acting, dancing, choreography, comedy, visual art, or voice-talent. My life mantra is: ROCK ON WITH PEACE, LOVE, & RESPECT ALWAYS.
Sita Sings the Blues has been released under a Creative Commons license and you can screen the whole film online at Thirteen.org.
The Feminist Queries: Judy Chu
Published April 26, 2009 @ 03:45PM PT
For today's Feminist Query, I interviewed Judy Chu PhD who is running a Congressional campaign in CA-32, the seat vacated by Hilda Solis. Dr. Chu is an EMILY’s List candidate with a strong record on women’s issues, and she would be a great addition to Congress. Dr. Chu has dedicated her life to improving the quality of life in the San Gabriel Valley as a public official. For the past 23 years, Dr. Chu has represented San Gabriel Valley neighborhoods as a local School Board member, Mayor and City Council member, State Assembly Member and as a member of the California State Board of Equalization. Dr. Chu holds a B.A. in Math (!!) from UCLA, and a PhD in Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. During her time in the California State Assembly, when she represented the Western San Gabriel Valley, Dr. Chu passed legislation to protect victims of domestic violence, to crack down on hate crimes, to promote environmental justice and to modernize aging schools. Her tax amnesty program brought in over $4.8 billion in revenues to improve schools, health care and public safety. Additionally, she served as Chair of the Assembly Appropriation Committee where she fought to protect student, seniors and the disabled from budget cuts. As a member of the nation's only elected tax authority, Dr. Chu works to close special interest tax loopholes, protect small businesses and to administer the collection of $53 billion in state taxes and fees.
Take a look at her interview and feel free to donate to her campaign and help get more women elected to Congress!
Do you consider yourself a feminist? If not, why? If yes, how so?
Yes, I consider myself a feminist. While growing up, I never even contemplated the possibility of being a leader, let alone an elected official. It seemed entirely outside the realm of possibilities for me as an Asian American woman. So I was a math major when I went to UC Santa Barbara. I actually remember the moment I realized that it was even possible for me to be a leader. During the first quarter there, I decided on a lark to take an "experimental" Asian American Studies Class. They had a guest speaker, Pat Sumi, a strong community activist committed to anti-war issues and civil rights. As I listened to her, a light went off in my head. I realized that it was possible for me to be a community activist too, and to be a leader in changing people's lives for the better. I got active in campus and community activities, transferred to UCLA, and changed my major to psychology in order to better help people. I joined the movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment for women, and then taught classes at UCLA on Asian American Women. That was the beginning of my 25 year history working on behalf of equality for women.
What made you decide to run for office?
In 1985, I had not even contemplated running for office. However, I was teaching in psychology in the Los Angeles Community College District and living in Monterey Park. A group of people asked me to run for the board of the Garvey School District. So I ran, but I was a complete unknown. I do remember a critical moment. It was when I went before the National Women's Political Caucus in Pasadena for an endorsement. They interviewed me and were so supportive of this completely unknown candidate that I felt incredibly encouraged. They endorsed me and gave me a donation. I realized from that experience that it is so important to have an infrastructure helping women run for office. Then an "English Only" movement occurred in Monterey Park where long time residents scapegoated new immigrants who were moving into the city. They wanted English only on the signs in the city and for the books in the library. The last straw was when they got a resolution passed in the city council saying that only English should be spoken in the city. I joined a coalition to defeat the resolution. We were successful, and out of that movement, I ran for city council. I made it my goal to bring the city together, and bring about an appreciation of diversity. Seven years later, I was so gratified when our city won the grand prize for Innovation in Addressing Diversity by the League of California Cities.
Have you faced any "glass ceilings" as an Asian American female running for political office?
I felt a very strong glass ceiling as an Asian American woman running for political office. Though it was difficult running for the Monterey Park City Council because of the polarization in the city, but it was still possible to win through hard work and door-to-door walking. But I found that running for state office to be a totally different story. In the state, there was an Old Boy's Network that had institutionalized its power. When the Assembly seat opened up in 2001, I decided to run. But the Old Boy's Network wanted a male, and they put all their resources into backing him and putting up roadblocks for me. Thus, the then-Speaker did not support me. It looked bleak, but then there was a turning point. It was when Congresswoman Hilda Solis decided to support me. She had gone against the Old Boy's Network herself when she did something unprecedented. She ran against an incumbent do-nothing Congressman who was part of the Old Boy's Network, and won. She wanted a new California like I did. Her support provided the critical boost that I needed to win.
How can we encourage more women to run for office?
It was very powerful to have the support and endorsement of the National Women's Political Caucus. It is important to have groups in place that will help women when they run for office. I applaud the work of NWPC, the Women's Political Committee and Emily's List. They have truly changed the landscape for women running for office. It is also important to encourage women to get involved on the local and grassroots level, so they can gain experience and a base when they run.
What is the single most important issue to you today?
The single most critical issue that we are facing today is the economic crisis. Seniors don't know if their 401K will hold any value, business people don't know if they can pay their next month's salaries and young people don't know if there will be a job waiting for them when they graduate. In addition, the foreclosure rate is overwhelming. I want to use the fiscal expertise I've gained as Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, as a member of the California Legislature's Budget Conference Committee, as a member of the Board Equalization collecting the taxes for the state, and as the author of the Tax Amnesty bill which was supposed to bring in $300 million but actually brought in $4.3 billion for this state and was the most successful tax amnesty in the nation in history. I want to bring this out-of-the-box thinking to Washington D.C. The economic crisis has hit women particularly hard because there is a gender gap in wages for women. Women still earn only 77% of what men earn. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, at the present rate of progress, it will take 50 years to close the wage gap between men and women nationwide.
To me, this is unacceptable. I have worked hard at the Board of Equalization to close this gender gap. I've done a series of women entrepreneur workshops to close this gap, so that women can get the resources they need to be economically independent.
If you could ask feminists everywhere one question, what would it be?
What are you doing to help women attain equality in America? Women everywhere need your commitment and help.
The Feminist Queries: Ann Cashion
Published March 27, 2009 @ 08:00AM PT
For this round of Feminist Queries, I interviewed Ann Cashion who has worked intensively in restaurant kitchens in both the United States and Europe for the past 25 years. She began her career in San Francisco, California, where she worked for several Bay Area establishments before traveling to Italy to apprentice at Francesco Ricchi's trattoria in the hills outside Florence Over the years, she has worked in France, Texas and now Washington, D.C. where she has opened several restaurants including Austin Grill, Jaleo, Cashion's Eat Place, Johnny's Half Shell.
Ann is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and a 1976 graduate of Harvard University. She also completed two years at Stanford University towards her doctorate in English Literature before leaving to cook professionally. In 2004, she was honored by the James Beard Foundation as Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region - quite an accomplishment.
I hope you'll take a few minutes to read her interview and respond to the fun question at the end!
Have you ever considered yourself a feminist?
Maybe I was born a feminist. It just seemed to be part of my DNA. I remember in grammar school competing to beat the little boys in my class at ping pong and I recall my mother advising me that I should "let them win". "What nonsense", I thought. By the time I was in high school I was refusing to make my debut or to shave my legs. This was considered weird behavior by Mississippi standards of that era, but two years later when I matriculated at Harvard, I fit right in. These days I hardly think about it anymore, not consciously. My values haven't changed, but my circumstances have; as a single, small business owner I call my own shots and don't have to justify myself to anyone but myself.
It interesting that you halted your pursuit of a Masters Degree in Literature to become a professional cook. How did you make this decision?
As much as I loved reading all through childhood, as satisfying as my B.A. studies in English literature were, when it came to the pursuit of an advanced degree, I hated it. It wasn't so much the intellectual rigor and requisite specialization (though I did find that confining) as it was the petty ultra-competitiveness of everyone in the program. Realizing that I was not cut out for graduate school, I turned to cooking. Food had always been an obsession of mine and I had cooked at a friend's motel restaurant during high school summers. I also operated a small late night grill on the ground floor of my dorm during my junior and senior years in college. I had always loved eating, particularly eating out and experiencing new types of food, and as a disaffected graduate student I had spent more time throwing dinner parties for friends than preparing for seminars. So the move to cooking just felt right and made sense to me, if not to everyone else.
A lot of people say that the restaurant industry is male-dominated, particularly when it comes to Chefs. What do you think about this and how has it affected your career?
Male chefs definitely dominate in my profession, and there are lots of reasons why. But I always point out that a big reason why there are so few women in the top echelons are because women generally opt out, either because the work is too stressful and grueling, or the schedule is too unorthodox to accommodate a relationship or marriage, or because they want to bear and raise children. When I was starting out in the 70's and 80's there were even fewer women running kitchens than there are today, and male chefs were reluctant to hire me. Consequently, I was forced to think about being in charge and opening a place of my own much earlier than ideally I'd have wanted to.
Why does it matter in your opinion to have diversity in the kitchen in terms of gender, race or otherwise? What are the benefits to challenging a "patriarchal kitchen"?
I don't know that diversity per se is of any importance in the kitchen. What is important is that a kitchen operate as a cohesive team unit. To that extent, gender, race, or other differentiators are irrelevant. You are only as good as your ability to perform and to contribute to producing great food. Doesn't matter if you're an American girl or an Indonesian hermaphrodite, which is one of the great things about kitchen work...it's truly an equalizer. That being said, the fact that most kitchens in this country are very diverse is a nice perk of the profession. I can't tell you how entertaining and refreshing it is when a Thai busser starts playfully pulling the leg of a Latino line cook...it's what life in 21st century America should and could be like all the time.
As a female in the food business, what wisdom would you share with other women trying to find similar success?
Think of yourself as a culinary professional, not a female culinary professional. Why? Because you can only be successful if you are willing to compare yourself to and compete with everyone in your profession, not just the relatively small subset of those who are women. Don't let the press ghettoize you; try to push back against stories and articles where the idea is to feature "women chefs" since often the underlying assumption behind this is that there's a different yardstick that applies to them.
Finally, in honor of the feminist queries, we like to end these interviews with a question. If you could ask feminists everywhere one thing, what would it be?
An informal culinary research project that has been ongoing for the past two years: "Which do you prefer, cake or pie? "
The Feminist Queries: Kimberly Linton
Published March 24, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
For this Feminist Query, Change.org has interviewed Kimberly Linton is a personal trainer, former body builder and group fitness instructor. After obtaining her MBA and working for a large consulting firm, Kimberly realized that her true passion was to help people stay fit while raising families and pursuing their careers. Kim is DC's toughest trainer and I can certainly attest to that--I have lost nearly 25 pounds working with her! She writes about health and fitness at her blog, Living the Fit Life. I got a chance to talk to Kim about self-care, creating a feminist brand, and why fitness and health is such an important issue to women of color.
Why is fitness and health so important to women of color?
Nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Race is definitely a huge factor. Black women have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke than white women. Compared with whites, African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke. Studies indicate that some of the reasons are that black women have limited access to preventative health care, health education, and through ethnic eating habits predispose themselves to these chronic diseases. One of the reasons I am so passionate about fitness/living a healthy life is due to my own family history. My mother and father both have high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. I have high blood pressure but it is controlled with diet, exercise and low dose medication. I know that if I wasn't exercising/eating right, I would need more than 1 medication right now like my mother. Black women especially need to be concerned with their health. Many times they are the primary/only earner in the family--and any loss of work due to illness or death could devastate the families that depend on them.
Many black women are encouraged to be "thick"--full figured and curvy but not necessarily in shape. With Michelle Obama as our First Lady--with those fabulous arms--How do you think this will change the standard of beauty for black women?
I think it will definitely have an impact on the way black women view their bodies. Now we can see what healthy really looks like without all the stereotypes of the media. I like the focus that has been given to her exercise regime and fitness goals. They are aligned with most working mothers out there-do what you can-never take your health for granted. The media reported early in the campaign that Mrs. Obama gets up at 4:45am with a friend and just gets it done with cardio and circuit training. I think she will appeal to many black women out there to adopt a healthy lifestyle and be as active as they can be. Remember the picture of her hula hooping with her daughters? That was a wonderful example of how having fun with your children can also be "exercise".
Ananda Leeke, a black female author and yogini, spoke with us a few weeks ago about the importance of self-care as it relates to feminism. How does your work as a personal trainer speak to the idea of self-care?
I totally emphasize to my female clients the importance of taking care of themselves first--even before family. The family is depending on you to be so many things--if you don't take care of yourself that just won't be possible. Keeping fit and eating right is at the center of self-care as well as getting regular check-ups and screening. Many women actually feel guilty for the desire to take time for themselves to get in shape. One lady told me she only wanted to workout once per month so her kids/husband wouldn't have to worry about dinner etc. when she was out training every week. I told her that she works full time and provide a wonderful home for your family--you deserve and need to take time to get in shape. This will make you a better equipped mom and partner to your husband. It changed the way she looked at having a personal trainer/exercising and she decided to be serious with her goals/expectations.
My particular brand of feminism brings together my girly side that wears pumps and dresses with my devotion to gender equality and reproductive health. Do you consider yourself a feminist, and if so, how does fitness and nutrition play a role in your brand of feminism?
I do consider myself a feminist as I believe in self-empowerment! Because of all the health statistics pertaining to women it is important for us to own the responsibility we have and take our health more seriously. I feel that giving women the opportunity to change their own lives through health and fitness will empower them in ways they never knew possible.
