In the article “Heart-Based Leadership: Women Mobilize to Heal the World,” Linda Sechrist writes about women’s longtime efforts to form healthy, vibrant communities by improving economic justice, human equality and peace. Extraordinary women, both known and unknown, with personalities ranging from bold and sassy to humble and inconspicuous, have made history through direct means, such as civil actions for women’s suffrage, fair labor and civil rights, and indirectly through entrepreneurship and personal financial independence.

Milwaukee has grown into a hub ripe with resources for nonprofits and businesses owned and operated by women. For example, after living elsewhere, when Sharon Adams returned to her childhood neighborhood of Lindsay Heights to discover it had deteriorated, she founded Walnut Way Conservation Corp., with the mission to improve health, wellness and the environment in the neighborhood. To create an affordable and social shopping experience for clothing and accessories in Milwaukee’s normally pricey Third Ward, entrepreneur Lizzi Weasler opened the boutique Lizzibeth. The dedicated efforts of both women arose from a desire to serve others and grew through their commitments to persevere.

As a business owner myself, I’m inspired to see other female entrepreneurs succeed, contributing to the increasing female representation in many fields, including those in which women were not previously well represented: restaurants, farming, retail, publishing, the arts, photography and many more. I find that many female business owners choose camaraderie over competition and are often willing to help others, not only entrepreneurs that are already established but also those considering the leap from corporate cubicle to satisfying self-employment. By infusing the business world with compassion, collaboration and connection, women are spreading those qualities throughout society.

The late Mary Tyler Moore, who became a feminist icon after starring in one of the first TV shows to feature a never-married working woman as its lead character, reminded every woman that she can “make it after all,” with this quote: “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

Here’s to the courage and passion within each of us,

Gabriella Buchnik, Publisher