“My mom, Shelby, was always formally involved in promoting women’s issues. In 1992, she took me along on a busload of women and girls to march from the White House to the Mall in support of reproductive rights, when a key Supreme Court case hung in the balance. She actively worked with NARAL, NOW, and the League of Women Voters, and brought me to so many of their events to help dole out “I voted!” stickers, or whatnot. She took every available opportunity to underscore to me that even if I, in particular, enjoyed certain rights as a female, it didn’t mean that every other female in the world enjoyed those same rights, or access to them. And so while I don’t consider myself that influential in the greater scheme of things, I look at her as an enormous influence on my own life, and do what I can in hopes that I can make an impact on someone else’s, if even just by showing and speaking up.”
– Rebecca Soffer

“I work in a creative field as the founder of Epic Playdate, a creative web design and marketing studio, and am a former 15-year ad agency producer. Being a woman means everything to me since I ‘grew up in my career’ (now – wow – 25 years ago!) in corporate worlds with older men at the helm. I am grateful for crossing paths with a few female leaders who mentored and encouraged me to be active, thoughtful and ambitious in my career journey. In turn, I have – and continue – to support and empower other women of all ages and phases of life to pursue and do.

“To me, women are amazing humans. I mean just incredible. The sheer capacity a woman has on a daily basis truly makes the world go round. However, there is still quite an imbalance and disparity between genders in several facets of life – economic and workplace – to name a few. Being vocal and expressing a collective female voice is important to me. I have been part of several organizations in support of women’s issues, including Marshall Plans for Moms and, very recently joining the Core Team and building the brand and phase one site experience for We3, the first web-3 focused network for women and non-binary professionals to thrive. We are very much in the infancy phase as we transition into web3 and already ‘women in the web3 workforce’ is nominal compared to men. This must shift. While I certainly find delight, joy and connection in supporting women, I am dedicated to actively being there for others. I often say to peers, clients and family and friends – it takes a tribe of supporters for women (and all people) to thrive….and I want to be part of yours.”

“As a culturally-focused Jewish woman, I felt a shift in my Jewishness when my daughter was born in 2014. Perhaps this kickstarted a more powerful sense of purpose and perspective with my Jewish culture in my day-to-day life – of course, extending to my work ethos. I spent clear time thinking about how I wanted to be as a Jewish mother and how to raise and empower my Jewish daughter. With this spirit, in the last eight years, my work has shifted as I moved away from corporate and into my own creative consultancy. I intentionally apply my core tenets (all stemming from my Jewishness) into my business model and, more importantly to me, into my relationships with my wonderful clients and team members. I can honestly share that I have never been happier and more content in my work life due to applying – and living – these core values daily.”
– Rebecca Orlov

“Although I swim in a sea of anxiety (bolstered by stories of pogroms and poverty told by generations of female relatives), I face it with deadpan, dark, and often inappropriate humor. So the stories I tell are of misfits and outsiders trying to find their way in a hostile world. Pretty Jewish, nu?

“The children’s book industry is loaded with women, so it’s welcoming. But at the same time, it’s often a struggle to tell stories that are a bit subversive. Male creators have always been allowed to take more of those leaps into the subversive and absurd. (I champion women’s issues) because we deserve to control our own bodies and tell our stories however we want to control them and tell them.”
– Lisa Brown