Blogs by InnovatorsBox®

Honoring Women Innovators Who Promote Hope and Healing This Women’s History Month

Healing and health has always been important but seem to have taken on new meaning these past years. Health is no longer just about physical “fitness” or testing negative on a PCR test. Being healthy is also about feeling a sense of mental wellness, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and a sense of hope. It’s only fitting that the theme for this Women’s History Month is “Women Providing Healing and Providing Hope” to honor all the women who served us during the pandemic and beyond.

When I reflect on all the women that stand out in the public and eye and in my personal life who provide hope and healing, I think of the essential workers, the psychologists, the researchers, and the brave women in medicine all around the world who have secured physical and mental relief as well as support to those who suffered from Covid-19 and beyond. Additionally, I also think of the women who provide hope and healing in ways that go beyond the realm of healthcare – by advocating for inclusivity, building businesses that solve problems, and generally innovating for the better.

What women stick out in your mind when you reflect on hope and healing?

I’ve been inspired by how some brands are stepping up to the plate to help raise awareness about women’s issues and highlight women who promote a movement of empowerment and hope.

For example, in Sweden, Dove helped raise awareness about breast cancer, one of the biggest threats to women’s health in Sweden, by innovating beyond traditional brochures to deliver information in a dynamic Snapchat AR lens educating about breast examinations.

Additionally, I was inspired by Pine Sol who supported Black women entrepreneurs by launching a multifaceted platform aimed at providing them guidance and funding. It included a first-ever “Build Your Legacy” program in partnership with Essence, a leading media outlet for black women, providing direct access to business experts, a resource center, and grant programs. In addition, the “Pine Store” digital shop contained products that celebrate the traditions of a Saturday morning ocean with 100% of the proceeds going towards Black woman-owned businesses.

Of course, behind every one of these posts, innovative products or programs, are inspirational women. And in honor of this month, I would like to highlight a few women who are doing amazing things to provide healing and hope in their own way. 

Honoring Women Innovators 

In this blog I’m highlighting 10 women, many friends, and some who I hope to befriend someday, who stand out against this month’s theme of providing hope and healing both in America and globally. Please take some time to hear about their story and reflect on what you can take from their work. After all, no matter how you identify you can take inspiration and hope from these women innovators.

1. Tiffany Yu, Speaker and Entrepreneur Advocating for Disabled People Around the World

Based out of San Francisco, Tifanny is the CEO & Founder of Diversability, an award-winning social enterprise to elevate disability pride; the Founder of the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter, a monthly micro-grant that has awarded $59.5k to 60 disability projects in 10 countries; and a content creator with almost 160k+ followers across platforms. And that’s just naming a few of her accomplishments! At the age of 9, Tiffany became disabled as a result of a car accident that also took the life of her father and is now motivated to create the resources that weren’t available to her when she was younger. 

Check our our conversation with Tiffany as she explains her take on courage and inspiring a better tomorrow:

2. Denise Basow, CDO Fighting For Better Healthcare Access

Now in Louisiana working as CDO for Ocshner Health, Basow left her mark at Wolters Kluwer Health in Massachusetts for her organizational decision to provide free access to evidence-based medical resources to support clinicians on the front lines across the world. More than 77,480 clinicians globally have taken advantage of the company’s UpToDate software guest passes. The Healthcare Technology Report named her to the Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare Software.

3. Jenna Lee, Creating Solutions In Male-Dominated Finance 

Jenna is Founder & CEO at AIM Inc. where she built an incredible FinTech app to increase access in investing in South Korea. Jenna has a background in engineering, investing, and management consulting and says she is perpetually inspired by innovation and tremendous value entrepreneurs add to society. I’m inspired by her passion to help organizations build and grow businesses through her incredible expertise and vision for solutions.

4. Saleema Vellani, Rethinking Entrepreneurial Growth Through The Power of Language

Saleema is the Founder and CEO of Ripple Impact, an accelerator and community that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses and platforms. At the age of 21, Saleema co-founded and launched Brazil’s top-rated language school to finance an orphanage. She later co-founded a leading online translation agency to help companies expand their digital presence globally. She has co-founded seven ventures with three exits. She goes out her way to make innovation accessible for anyone who wants to change the world with their business or business idea. Check out her latest book, Innovation Starts with I.

5. Pallavi Shrivastava, Unlocking Potential by Reducing Fintech Barriers

Pallabi is the co-founder of ProgCap, a fast growing company that rethinks fintech by providing users affordable, customized finance and digitizing supply chains to underserved retailers. Pallavi is inspired by the over 15 million retailers in India that unfortunately face the same challenges in accessing credit. It got her thinking of how to address this massive gap, and she innovated for the better. ProgCap was awarded a Product Innovation of the Year award and is making a difference for countless people already.

6. Towanna Burrous, Rethinking Coaching and Training Through a Diverse Lens

Towanna is ​​the Founder & President of CoachDiversity Institute, the world’s first coaching program specifically designed for diverse communities and preparing individuals, communities and institutions for rapid demographic change and culturally-sound communication. Towanna’s work is more important than ever in providing hope for the evolving workforce, working to evolve the ways we think about diversity in the workplace. CoachDiversity has earned the rank of No. 524 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately-held companies in the U.S.

7. Marion Neubronner, Increasing International Health Collaboration and Mental Wellness

Based in Singapore, Marion is a key leader in alleviating the mental health pandemic that accompanies the pandemic crisis. She is the Senior Assistant Director at NUS Medicine International Council at National University of Singapore and has in the last few years focused her work in assisting with the race for a vaccine and the containment of the spread of Covid-19. She was part of the groundbreaking Covid-19 Updates where international experts share real time updates which shape our best practices for working to contain and overcome this pandemic. In addition, she offers mental coaching services for healthcare leaders. It’s no wonder she was formally celebrated in 2019 for Women’s History Month, but her work in recent years makes her more than deserving for another shoutout. 

8. Crystal Bowyer, Inspiring Young Innovators

Crystal is the President and CEO at the National Children’s Museum in Washington D.C. Open for 18 days before closing for 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, under Bowyer’s leadership, the Museum immediately innovated to provide digital resources for families and educators. The Museum developed at-home STEAM activity videos, a children’s podcast, virtual field trips, and digital exhibits, reaching more than one million people across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and six continents. Crystal has dedicated her career to serving children with nearly 20 years of experience in government and nonprofit administration. Before coming to National Children’s Museum, she spent a decade in arts and culture in Chicago, last serving as Director, External Affairs at the Museum of Science and Industry, contributing to the development and execution of a $380 million capital campaign. 

9. Ma. Laurice Jamero, Sparking Hope for Communities and the Future of Our Planet

Ma. Laurice Jamero leads the Resilience Collaboratory at the Manila Observatory, where she works closely with local governments across the Philippines to support their climate and disaster risk management, and adaptation efforts. She uses her passion to highlight the resilience demonstrated by island and coastal communities throughout history, and focuses on how we can build on their existing adaptive capacities in order to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change. As a small islander herself (she is from Bohol, Philippines where they have a double barrier reef), she is also keen on investigating coral reefs and how island and coastal communities might be able to save them from extinction.

10. Ichraf Jarry

Located in Tunisia, Ichraf is an entrepreneur and community catalyst, enthusiastic about Social Innovation and technology. She is the founder of Hive12, a coworking space and initiator of various entrepreneurship programs for early-stage startups for women and youth. Learn here how Ichraf became the first in her family to get out of a salary based job.  Focusing on helping her community of entrepreneurs beyond a working space, she also recently founded Beezit, an algorithm-based solution that optimizes processes for local delivery services. 

In Reflection…

And as we wrap up, I want to reflect back to last year, when we had created the intentional space to highlight and celebrate the voices of women innovators who are doing wonderful things in their spheres of influence and share their stories of persistence, resilience, creativity, and innovation, and how they are paving the way and creating hope and healing for the next generation of women innovators

About the Author

Monica H. Kang

Monica H. Kang

Monica H. Kang, Founder, and CEO of InnovatorsBox® and Author of Rethink Creativity is transforming today’s workforce through the power of creativity. She helps companies rethink culture, leadership, and team development by making creativity practical and relatable regardless of industry or job title. She has worked with clients worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, higher education, government, and nonprofits. Monica’s work has been recognized by The White House, Ashoka Changemakers, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Prior to InnovatorsBox®, Monica was a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert. She holds an M.A. from SAIS Johns Hopkins University in Strategic Studies and International Economics and a B.A. from Boston University.

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