Inflection points are more significant than ordinary developments and the consequences of the transition are mostly visible and noticeable. Inflection points define our lives and for participants in the Women’s Inflection Point (WIP) community, it can be the catalyst they need to set their life’s path on an upward trajectory. Individuals who work with WIP are at their very own life’s inflection – choosing which way they will go.
Inflection Point as Highlighted in the American Politics
As a former VP, Joe Biden became the 46th president and many labeled his victory as an inflection point for the American Democracy. In fact, in his victory speech, Biden stated, “America has always been shaped by inflection points – by moments in time where we’ve made hard decisions about who we are and what we want to be…” Kamala Harris, Vice President, making history on a chief US presidential ticket, also declared that the nation is at an “inflection point” in her historic nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National convention (DNC).
To be noted, in the midst of a public health crisis the United States to a crucial inflection point. The inequalities and injustices that have always existed but often ignored were instead highlighted and brought to the surface. At a time where social media was the main form of communication and collaboration- we came to a collective inflection point. This type of broad activism was an important first step. The inflection point is just the beginning, it is the realization that sparks the change and the resulting action is the opportunity to move forward.
The Concept of Women Inflection Point (WIP)
Since its inception, WIP strives to facilitate “occurrences” of inflection points that unlock women’s potential and drive them to achieve their full potential in all their life cycles. As a non-profit educational and result-driven entity, WIP is bundled with a development roadmap to naturally succeed. WIP focuses on three tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid: Physiological, Safety, and Self-Actualization. In other words, your health, your money, and yourself.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, we highlight WIP collaborators and their work in the areas of Wellness, Wealth, Self-Actualization and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Wellness
WIP Wellness Collaborators: [Anita Krajnik (health) OH; Bridget Therese (physical) TX; Cerita Battles (Biblical Principles) FL; Patti Cotton (Mental Health), LA]
WIP strives to promote an understanding that cultivates and integrates all dimensions of wellness. The top five wellness promoters among women include fitness, social life, and important relations, relationship status, monetary safety, and career and professional gratification. When inquired which aspects are presently disturbing their personal wellness, respondents quoted weight, body mass index, waist size (51%), and stress and anxiety (50%) at the top of the list.
According to a survey conducted by Everyday Health, almost 25% of women in the US are displeased with their overall wellness. The top six influences that are most important to their overall wellness objectives are Monetary Security, being as healthy as possible, feeling supported/respected, and having self-confidence, the ability to feel invigorated and fervent, and positivity and stability.
Anita E. Krajnik, Founder/owner/operator of The Haven of Moreland Hills. Ms. Krajnik has incessant studies in the cutting edge of Naturopathic and Quantum Bio-feedback techniques and protocol that help people of all ages. The mission is to enlighten, empower, and guide people on their journey towards greater wellness by offering health information, lifestyle counseling, and naturopathic modalities in a peaceful environment that honors each individual committed to designing personal programs, using modern technology combined with traditional techniques that suggest solutions to support healing and unique health needs. Delivering wellness services that encourage the restorative power of nature, work in concert with the conventional therapies, and produce the physical beauty that emerges from a healthy body. Nurturing clients’ confidence to tap into their inner source of health and thrive as wholesome members of family and community, contributing to a healthier more peaceful world.
Patti Cotton, CEO, President, Cotton Group, LLC.
Mental health and wellness are key to a healthy life and a healthy community. Unaddressed mental health problems can exacerbate homelessness, poverty, and negatively influence employment, safety, and the local economy. Further, unattended challenges arising from mental health issues can impact the productivity of the local businesses and health care costs, compromise the ability of children and youth to succeed in school, and lead to family and community challenges. As the need for support continues to grow in the lay population, it has also increased with our armed service veterans. According to the Wounded Warrior Project, 1 in 3 service members have PTSD, and 1 in 3 reports that they do not receive the care they need in order to recover. It is reported that veteran’s lack of access to mental health care results in an abnormally high suicide rate, in addition to other challenges listed above. For example, the rate of suicides among women veterans is 35 per 100000 and the rate is much higher than their civilian counterparts. Our veteran population does not stop fighting once they have completed their active service. In fact, one might say a new fight just begun – that of being able to access and enjoy adequate mental health care, as well as programs designed to help them reintegrate into society in a way that overcomes the disadvantage they face upon their return from service.
Wealth
WIP Wealth Collaborators: [viola Solomon (Homeownership) TX, Dr. Shanina Knighton, Ph.D. (College Debt Reduction) OH; Susan Iverson (retirement) TX; Annie Yan Case (Insurance) NV].
Research suggests that women of all races are not remunerated as much as men for the same work. However, the monetary incongruities for black women are particularly upsetting. According to a report, black females take home 63 cents (compared to 75 cents for white females) for every dollar a white male makes.
This discrepancy is not just in terms of income but also in terms of wealth. Another report looks at the domestic wealth of black and white females and finds that black females face an obvious gap in terms of wealth as compared to males as well as to white females. With all the inequities we find on income and wealth disparity, this means protecting wealth is just as, if not more important, for black and BIPOC people. When workers are given adequate income, they are able to save, set aside, or invest in their own insurance policies. This furthers generational wealth and provides options for preserving wealth for families and children.
The average wealth level for single black women age 60 and older with a college degree is $11,000 compared to an average of $384,400 for their white colleagues. That’s almost 35 times the Black Average! Moreover, although married, college-educated Black Women to see better gains, it is still 50% of what White women in the same category have accrued. Additionally, with more Black women graduating from college than ever before, they accrue higher student loan debts due to the ever-present wealth gap leading to high principal balances. According to a study by the Association of University Women, Black women carry the highest student loan debt of any racial or ethnic group with women, in general, carrying 2/3 of the US student loan debt. In an age in which companies are quickly shifting away from conventional pensions and toward discrete retirement plans, the fact that Black females have been obstructed from saving enough is a huge problem. And, this is just one of the motives that wealth disparity is perhaps just as significant, if not more significant than income disparity.
Covid-19 has also increased the emphasis on preparing for any financial crisis. Many people but especially minorities don’t know how to get proper financial protection, but the pandemic has emphasized the importance of building a financial plan and learning how to build and protect wealth. One of the key ways to build financial protection is through insurance which ensures your family will be taken care of if you pass away.
Self-actualization
WIP Self-Actualization Collaborators: [Tamsin Astor, Ph.D. (Mindset) OH: Kirstie Boyett, Ph.D. Candidate (socio-Psychology) TX]
At WIP, we’ve observed that once a woman’s most basic needs are fulfilled, she can expand her thinking to include a real outlook on the world around her and discover where it is she fits or desires to fit. She can decide her future and work towards it. We educate women with their decision-making to include values, beliefs, contentment, and the ability to help others.
Tamsin Astor, PhD., Chief Habit Scientist, Yoga Brained LLC. Change Your Habits, Change Your Life:
Ayurveda is the Indian Medical System – it has been around for 6000 years and means “the science of life.” A core component of Ayurveda is your daily behaviors – your rituals that keep you in alignment.do you eat, sleep, and work out at the same time every day? Are you nourishing (and exercising) all parts of yourself (mind, body, and spirit)? It is very easy to focus on one aspect of your wellbeing and if 2020 has shown us anything, it is that if we fail to take care of our basic needs like sleeping, eating, exercising, it becomes extremely difficult to manage the more complicated aspect of our lives. One of the things that are most surprising to my clients when they start doing this work is how quickly they start noticing how little changes can create big changes in how they feel. One of the first task I require of my clients is to track their daily habits for a minimum of a week so we can see where there is regularity and routine, what parts of their lives are taking up more time than they guessed (e.g., Chores) and what areas they might be missing or minimizing (e.g., exercise). There is vital data to be gathered here. We need to have quantitative data on your life. Focusing on one, without the other leaves a gap that does not result in success. To be successful, you need to take account of both kinds of information. Your daily habits are the microscope – how are you spending your time, moment to moment, and are they in alignment with your bigger life vision? If you haven’t taken the time to reflect on your habits and your big life vision and whether they are connected, then you will not live your best life: which is really what this is all about, right? Are you willing to stop, gather the data and reflect on whether your current habits are serving your bigger life goal?
Unfortunately, many women face attitudes and stereotypes specific to their gender that leave them underserved and undervalued in their careers, political representations, health, education, and more. Additionally, women and roles typically associated with females have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic compared to men. According to one survey, one in four women who become unemployed during the pandemic listed childcare as the key reason for the loss of their job, twice the rate of men who lost their jobs for the same reason (Bateman & Ross 2020)
Self-actualization, or reaching your full potential, is possible but only when other needs on Maslow’s hierarchy are first met. Once you’ve addressed your overall wellness and financial state, then it is time to address your potential. However, societal impacts may leave women feeling limited in reaching self-actualization.
Patti Cotton, President, Cotton Group LLC: Leaders know that emotional intelligence (EQ) is the biggest key to making a great impact. And whether you are the head of a large company or initiative, or you simply want to enjoy a greater and more meaningful life, EQ is key. Why is this? Understanding and managing our own emotions and how they drive our behaviors and actions, as well as recognizing and understanding the emotions of others, opens the door to success. In fact, it is now confirmed that EQ is far more important than IQ, and is what can make or break our efforts when under pressure, moving through change, and enjoying healthy and fruitful relationships. How do you rate? Take the short quiz at www.womeninflectionpoint.org/WAA (WAA = Women Acquiring Assets) to find out where you shine, and where your next growth opportunity might be. The good news is that, no matter how seasoned in life we are, we can always develop greater EQ.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION/RACE RELATIONS
WIP DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION COLLABORATORS: [Asheli Atkins, PhD (Qualitative Researcher) TX; Kenida Lewis (Diversity Recruiting) NV]
The Center for American Progress finds that workplace discrimination against workers on the basis of gender, race, or sexual discrimination costs companies approximately $64 billion each year. This amount represents the annual projected cost of losing and then replacing over 2 million American workers who are forced to leave their occupations due to prejudice and injustice. As per the Census Bureau, a deep-seated demographic shift is in the offing in which the majority would be of non-whites by 2043. That’s why big companies understand that minorities have huge buying power and also realize that diversity is critical to growing market share.
On the whole, experts believe that diverse teams always produce better outputs. McKinsey Global Institute reports that employee diversity is associated with improved business outcomes. In their report called “Diversity Matters”, they observed two important findings:
- Gender-diverse businesses are more probable to perform 15% better.
- Ethnically diverse businesses are more probable to perform 35% better.
That’s why WIP strongly advocates diversity and inclusion, not just in the workplace, but in all aspects of human life. Our approach begins with a hiatus from the routine of life. We bring together women from all cultures and races for a short period to play host to them as they get some much-needed ‘me-time and trigger inflection point occurrences.
WIP’s 2021 Vision: In 2021, WIP envisions to continue offering personal and financial development programs in a diverse environment. We aim to continue creating “Occurrences” that provoke Inflection Points experiences that also increase self-esteem, confidence, and financial means, for both genders. Join Us in 2021 in Houston (June 25-26), Cleveland (August 20-21), and Las Vegas (October 15-16)
