Items of Interest | Jacki Zehner

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…A List of FAVS for 2016

December 22, 2016December 22, 2016 Jacki ZehnerLeave a comment

As published on LinkedIn Influencers on December 22nd, 2016.

There’s been so many new and amazing things to discover this past year, I thought I’d share some of my favorites before we all disappear into turkey comas once more. Feel free to share your own in each of these categories.

5 – Books of 2016

Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (For A Sexist Workplace) by Jessica Bennett – What began as a monthly gathering for women to vent about the sexism they were encountering at work eventually gave birth to the Feminist Fight Club, a no holds barred survival guide/manifesto for working women everywhere. Filled with personal stories, research, statistics, and hard hitting advice, Jessica Bennett’s Feminist Fight Club is a sassy and fun-read.

Gender Lens Investing: Uncovering Opportunities for Growth, Returns, and Impact by Joseph Quinlan and Jackie VanderBrug – Women today are an unparalleled force in the global economy—as successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives and family breadwinners. Yet gender-based violence, the absence of women’s legal rights, and the persistent wage gap stubbornly remain. This paradox creates an unprecedented and underexplored opportunity for investors. This is the first book of its kind to examine, in-depth, the advantages of integrating gender into investment analysis. I have been advocating for years for gender lens investing, and I was thrilled when I heard about this book’s development and publication. I have also known Jackie VanderBrug for years and I am a huge fan. The practical insights included in it can be used to support any issue and/or cause, so please pick up a copy today and move forward in aligning your investment dollars with your values and the causes you hold most dear.

The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream by Courtney E. Martin – For the first time in history, the majority of American parents don’t believe that their children will be better off than they were. But what exactly does “better off” mean in an age when people are rejecting the traditional model of “the good life” in ever greater numbers and finding an alternative American dream? Martin has coined this movement the New Better Off, and this book is an incredible compilation of her knowledge, research, and advice on how to navigate this new world.

We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out by Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino – Make no mistake, this is a heavy read. But it is essential reading in understanding rape culture, the issue of consent, and how these relate to the epidemic of campus sexual assault currently happening in the United States. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy, but especially parents. Let us learn from these stories so we can help teach our young girls and boys about consent and healthy sexual relationships, and let’s move the dial on sexual assault. These amazing women also founded the non-profit End Rape on Campus which I am a proud supporter of, and if you have not yet seen the documentary film The Hunting Ground, it is now on Netflix.

Where Fairy Tales Go by Annette Ross – 16 years ago, Annette Ross and her husband Bill found their whole life changed forever when a medical error during the delivery of their second child left Annette without the ability to walk. Where Fairy Tales Go is a personal and intimate memoir of the years that followed, and their struggles to rebuild their lives, raise their family of five young girls, and reclaim a fairy tale that was lost. Annette is a personal friend of mine, and her story is as inspiring as it is moving.

4 – Films of 2016

Audrie & Daisy – This hard-hitting documentary film is an urgent real-life drama that examines the ripple effects on families, friends, schools, and communities when two underage young women find that sexual assault crimes against them have been caught on camera. Audrie & Daisy, which made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, takes a hard look at American’s teenagers who are coming of age in this new world of social media bullying, spun wildly out of control. Audrie & Daisy is available to stream on Netflix, but please consider hosting a screening in your local community. Post-screening discussion guides are available online.

Captain Fantastic – If you missed this film in theatres this past summer, and the box office numbers suggest that you probably did, I highly recommend checking out this compelling family drama starring Viggo Mortensen as a father raising his six children off the grid in the Pacific Northwest. Captain Fantastic premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last January, and more than lives up to its name. Truth be told I am a huge Viggo fan.

Step – Set to premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, keep a look out for Step, a documentary film that chronicles a year in the life of the Senior class of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. Baltimore is a city that is fighting to save its youth, and this school is attempting to rectify the struggle that young girls endure to be successful in school despite their home life and the influence of their Baltimore community. This documentary chronicles the trials and triumphs of the Senior girls on the high school’s Step Team as they prepare to be the first in their families to go to college – and the first graduating class of The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. Step is more than just a hobby for these girls, is is the outlet that keeps them united and fighting for their goals.

Unrest – Also set to premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Unrest is the first film from Jennifer Brea, an acclaimed journalist who has spent years chronicling her struggle with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), formerly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. At the age of 28, Jenn became progressively more ill, losing the ability even to sit in a wheelchair, and when doctors told her it was “all in her head,” she picked up her camera to document the world of millions of patients medicine forgot. Unrest tells the stories of Jen and Omar, newlyweds facing the unexpected, and four other families and their wildly different journeys with ME. Together, they fight to live in spite of the world’s most prevalent orphan disease. I know that this will be an incredibly important film, so please keep a look out for it in the coming year.

3 – Must Watch TED Talks

Suzanne Barakat: Islamophobia Killed My Brother. Let’s End the Hate – I saw this talk in person at TedxWomen this year, and it brought me to tears. Please watch, reflect, and learn from this horrific crime.

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action – This is an oldie but a goodie. For anyone interested in how great leadership can inspire great things, please watch this classic TED Talk.

Halla Tómasdóttir: It’s Time For Women to Run for Office – Another highlight of TEDxWomen 2016, this talk by Halla Tómasdóttir recounted how she overcame media bias, changed the tone of the political debate, and surprised her entire nation when she ran for president of Iceland — inspiring the next generation of leaders along the way. A must see!

2 – Newsletters to follow

The Broadsheet – A daily newsletter by Kristen Bellstrom with all the news on the world’s most powerful women. One of my daily reads.

Women and Hollywood – A weekly newsletter from the Women and Hollywood blog, founded by Melissa Silverstein, which focuses on gender diversity in the entertainment industry.

1 – Podcast

On Being by Krista Tippet – On Being is a Peabody Award-winning public radio conversation and podcast that opens up the animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live? A friend told me about this amazing platform, and now I can’t wait for my walks with my dogs or for a few found moments in the car so I can listen to yet another recording. The very first one I listened to remains by favorite; an interview Ms. Tippet did with Parker Palmer and Courtney Martin (yes, the author mentioned above) on the subject of rebellion. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Happy Holidays everyone!

#ShopYourValues

December 15, 2015 Jacki ZehnerLeave a comment

Published on LinkedIn December 15, 2015

This morning I glanced at my calendar and did a double take. December 15th? How did that happen? Are there seriously only 10 more days until Christmas? Something tells me I’m not the only one who did a double take at the calendar this morning. I’m also guessing that like me, many of you haven’t finished your holiday shopping just yet, and if that’s the case, I have a proposal for you. This year, instead of just mindlessly checking items off of a list, why not make a concerted effort to shop your values? Let me explain.

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget that every time you spend a dollar, that exchange is an exchange of power. Companies understand this well, and they spend billions of dollars every year trying to convince you to give them your purchasing power. Who are the main shoppers? Women. We make 75-85% of all purchasing decisions, which adds up to trillions of dollars that we could be using to support our values. Your dollars can make or break a company, brand, or consumer item, so what if we all started using this power as a way of supporting our values in life? What if we used our spending dollars to hold companies accountable, and as a means of enacting social change? That’s what shopping your values means, and the possibilities are endless.

For me personally, shopping my values means supporting gender equality and lifting up women and girls around the world. When facing a mile long Christmas gift list, this may seem like a daunting challenge to throw into the mix, but in reality, it’s actually very easy to purchase great gifts, while at the same time knowing you are directly supporting families in places that lack robust economic opportunities. When looking for gifts, look no further than Rising International, Plum Alley, Indego Africa, the Akola Project, Made by Survivors, Prosperity Candle, the Nomi Network, Soko, Same Sky, or Shopping for a Change. Each one of these organizations sells incredible handcrafted gifts such as jewellery, clothing, baskets, crafts, tote bags, and silks, all of which have been made by women in impoverished areas all around the world. Many of these organizations also offer the skills training needed for these women to turn their handmade items into artisan businesses, which in turn helps to lift their families out of poverty. My organization, Women Moving Millions, put all of this information together in a guide which you can download here. Best of all, you can do all of your shopping online without having to brave the horror of a mall this close to Christmas.

That being said, if you do want to head to the mall this Christmas, I can help you there as well, because if you want to turn your shopping into an endorsement of gender equality, there’s an app for that. The Buy Up Index is an app that aims to use spending power as a tool to create a more gender equal world. Large companies of all types are rated on their employee policies, women’s leadership, corporate citizenship, and marketing, and these ratings are combined to create a grade the company receives on gender equality. Brands and companies that have so far earned an “A” grade include Coach, Nike, Gap, and Athleta, and in the future, these “A” brands will be invited to offer users of the app exclusive offers, discounts, and products. So if you want your dollars to have impact, simply pull up the app, compare two brands’ scores, and reward the company with a stronger commitment to gender equality with your spending dollars. You can also sign up online for Buy Up’s exclusive shopping list that lets you shop for equality everyday, and then tweet out your online purchases to #shopyourvalues and #BuyUpIndex. It’s that easy.

I wish I could say that I’m one of those people who manage to have all of their Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving, but that would take a true Christmas miracle. Instead, I’m just going to be grateful that I still have 10 days left and get to work. And for those of you who may be in the same boat as me, don’t worry. There’s thousands of amazing gifts just waiting to be discovered on the websites listed above, and each and every one of them will help women and girls around the world. What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.

On The Road Again….

November 2, 2015 ionutLeave a comment

I am excited to be hitting the road for a number of speaking events over the next three weeks. I am sharing the list just in case you find yourself in the same location, or attending the same events. If so, feel free to TWEET to me @jackizehner.

Preparing for all the various talks is always very stressful. I take each one very seriously, and I do my best to prepare the remarks around the specific goals for that event. Truly, I don’t know how it is possible that it takes dozens of hours to prepare a 20 minute talk, but it does. That said, I love it, because what an honor it is to have an audience who is there to hear my message, which is usually about how we use our resources in greater alignment with a vision for a more just, equitable and gender balanced world.

November 2, 2015

Impact Investing with a Gender Lens Conference in Denver, CO

November 5, 2015

Princeton Area Community Foundation Luncheon in Princeton NJ – Luncheon key-note

November 8-10, 2015

Oxford England Said Business School, Power Shift Conference in Oxford England – Evening key-note

November 12, 2015

Indian River Impact 100 in Vero Beach, FL – Luncheon key-note

With speeches over, I am going to a Summit event for the first time – Summit at Sea! Bon Voyage.