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Meet Natasha!

Introducing Natasha, 

 

She is the founder of the Mariposa Sisters and Naturopathic Medical Candidate at Bastyr University California. She seeks to highlight women’s stories of strength and perseverance to globally inspire in leading women to happier, healthier, and more successful lives.

 

Meet Natasha!

 

Q: When you’re not working on Mariposa Sisters. What do you do? I know you go to school, what are you going to school for?

 

Natasha: I’m a third-year naturopathic medical candidate. Naturopathic medicine, for those who don’t know, is a holistic medical practice that combines the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science. We aim to treat the root cause of all illnesses. We use natural treatments to cure illnesses such as nutrition, herbology, hydrotherapy, physical manipulations, and so much more. So that’s a major part of my life. I am currently in the clinical portion of my education, so I’m personally seeing patients at Bastyr University Clinic in San Diego and along with the other Sisters’(founding members). Outside of school, I love getting recharged in nature and going hiking, hitting the beach, practicing yoga and meditation. And of course, there is nothing better than being around my friends and family. Most of my family is on the east coast and before the pandemic, I would regularly fly out to go see them. Since moving to San Diego 2 years ago, I feel incredibly blessed to have made some life-long friends that continually support and inspire me. 

 

Q: What do you hope to do with your education? 

 

Natasha: Once I graduate, which is about in two years, my aim is to open up a private practice where I can collaborate with other practitioners and focus on women’s health issues. In addition,  a portion of my practice will be focused on traveling domestically & internationally to give back to populations who need it. Culture and diversity is something that has always fascinated me. To be exposed to new ideas and perspectives is such a gift and it holds incredible learning. Many of the world’s problems, I believe, can be fixed by traveling and exposing oneself to new cultures. Through listening, compassion and purposeful action, we can begin to fix many of the health care disparities in this world.

 

Our next project with Mariposa Sisters is going to be focusing on the health care disparities present for colored women. Through this next film, we’ll show perspectives through the eyes of the patient and doctor so that we can bring awareness to this issue and educate future health care professionals, such as myself. 

 

Q: What inspired you and the founders to create the Mariposa Sisters?

 

Natasha: We’ll to simply put it, we were craving to make a difference. All of us at the time, had our heads in the books and the thought of being able to help and support someone or a group of people for that matter, brought us so much joy and excitement. 

 

When we signed up for a Naturopaths Without Borders (NWB)  trip heading down to Sonora, Mexico we had the experience of meeting some remarkable women. For those who don’t know, NWB, is a nonprofit organization that provides free medical care to hundreds of people of need throughout the world. During this medical mission, as first year medical students, we assisted during the visits and listened to stories these women shared about living in Puerto Penasco. These women were incredibly warm and welcoming and it was surprising when learning more about them in the visits, the number of obstacles these women faced daily and yet, were unfazed by these challenges. Inspired by their strength and perseverance, we wanted to learn more about them and use their stories to inspire other women around the world. 

 

Q: Do you have any advice for young women out there?

 

Natasha: Oh yes, absolutely. First, I’d say be passionate in what you believe and what you want to achieve. When following your dreams, there will be people who may not understand your idea and who may be fearful and in result, offer criticism. Don’t let this shake you or your confidence. This is part of the process and will make you stronger. Remember to have faith in yourself and trust that you have the ability to succeed.  Second, surround yourself with the best people. Create a support system around you of individuals that actively challenge themselves to grow, who see possibility, and inspire you to be better. 

 

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5 Essential Travel Tips for Women

5 Essential Travel Tips for Women

 

We’re all excited for travel to start up again. The yearn to embrace new cultures and meet individuals from all over the world is ever growing in this social distancing era. Whether you’re daydreaming of a girls trip or a solo trip, here are 5 essential travel tips for women to save for your next adventure!

 

  1. Use online resources to connect with other travellers and locals! We love The Travelettes, Go Girl Travel Network, Pink Pangea, Hostelworld, and facebook pages like Women Who Travel and The Solo Female Travel Network. This is a great place to ask for recommendations, get advice, and connect with women around the world!

 

  • Consider wearing a wedding band. Wearing a wedding band can deter possible advances or harassment that women travellers are often met with. It also insinuates that you may not be alone and you easily can claim that a man is waiting for you.

 

  • Dress the culture. It’s important to understand the customs of your destination in order to blend in and stay safe. Dressing like a local is not only respectful to the culture, but will avoid any unwanted attention being drawn to the fact that you’re a tourist. 

 

  • Do extensive research. Being an expert on your destination will allow you to feel ease while travelling. But also understand that you will never know everything. Be sure to ask female workers at your hotel what to do what to avoid!

 

  • Be Confident. Making eye contact and walking as if you have somewhere to go are proven ways to avoid theft and harassment. If you look at someone directly, you’re more likely to remember their face, thus deterring any advances. 

 

 

These tips are only the “tip” of the iceberg, but will prove to be extremely useful. Respond to this post with your essential travel tips!

 

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Barriers to Corporate Leadership Faced by Women

Climbing the Corporate Ladder in Heels: Barriers to Corporate Leadership Faced by Women

 

According to an intensive annual study in 2018 by McKinsey & Company’s initiative “Women in the Workplace,” in a sample of about 280 companies in the United States, only 34% of senior management roles were found to be occupied by women compared to 66% by men (Krivkovich et al.) In fact, this number and the percentage of women in the workforce, dwindles even further as one moves higher up the ladder.

 

But why does this gap still exist?

 

One of the explanations behind the lack of gender based diversity in the C-suite is that women are present in lower proportions from the very outset due to discrepancies in hiring and promoting. This often depends on the nature of industries – typically, many technology companies have lower representation for women. This problem only exacerbates along the management pipeline. 

 

Often, women are considered to be “inherently unsuitable” for roles because companies prescribe a certain lifestyle to women – one involving the prioritization of home and maternal duties. However, this argument is problematic not only because it stereotypes a certain lifestyle to women, but also because it uses that stereotype as an argument to prevent women from succeeding in the corporate workspace. Although illegal, many managers are implicitly biased by the cost of maternal leave, using that as a reason for hiring women over men. 

 

Additionally, societal expectations such as these translate in other ways. This double standard culture surrounding women having to choose between a work life and family life, with the choice almost being made for them. In some other ways, it is found that women are inherently anti-risk taking due to the systems they’ve brought up in – a system that reprimands women more strongly for failure when compared to their male counterparts. 

 

As a result, women often find themselves applying for jobs only when they meet 100% of the requirements, as compared to the average male – who applies even if he only meets 60% of the requirements. When translating this into the workplace, it means women are missing out on opportunities and are unable to climb the leadership ladder because of this strong fear of rejection and failure. The culture that they have been immersed in does not reward women for taking risks, even while they are on the job – it instead requires them to constantly be perfect at every step and can often prevent them from reaching out for opportunities they believe they are unprepared for. 

 

These are just a few of the barriers that women often face in the workplace – many others include battling discrimination everyday through microaggressions that question female competence, as well as the culture of sexual harassment. Overall, it seems like the culture of society that disadvantages women seems to seep into the workplace. Companies must seek to eradicate this culture. Not only is achieving workplace equity important, it turns out that companies with a greater proportion of women in executive positions have higher returns on their equity and are overall considered to be more innovative and respected. That much more of an incentive to reform the workplace!