“If you stay in the same circle, repeating the same cycle…day in and day out…how do you expect anything to change?”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am Diana Maiyo, a top-rated virtual assistant in Kenya, Africa, who is also passionate about educating women on healthy hair care routines. I have explored careers in a variety of industries and realized that my purpose in life is to add value to women’s lives on a daily basis. Being a virtual assistant has enabled me to achieve this as I get to work with so many amazing women from all over the world. I absolutely love what I do as I also get to learn a lot from the women I assist virtually. My virtual work has enabled me to learn different business practices from across the world and also get to learn of the many cultures out there. I can confidently say I have found where I belong and that is with the leading ladies in business worldwide.
[Regarding what I do as a virtual assistant], I help with calendar management, social media maintenance, email management, running social accounts for businesses, scheduling appointments, running group chats for businesses, and data entry. Those are just some of the services I offer and have been providing.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I come from a family of six and growing up, my older brother was my best friend. He would let me tag along whenever he went out playing with his friends, and this kept me active and resilient all through my life. My mum was a businesswoman, and I guess that’s where I got my entrepreneurial spirit from. My community didn’t believe much in educating the girl children, but my mum ensured that the four of us went to school no matter the obstacles she encountered. She taught me that I can be just as good as my two brothers and excel in whatever I set my mind on as long as I stay focused. She’s been supportive to date and still champions equal rights for both genders.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Living is all about experiencing new things, going out of your comfort zone, and pushing the boundaries. If you stay in the same circle, repeating the same cycle…day in and day out…how do you expect anything to change? How do you expect to grow? To learn new skills? To meet new people? Great things happen outside of your comfort zone.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means supporting and empowering other women and not degrading men while at it.
“I have learned that the ability to pivot in business is the way to survive.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about quality of life, finding balance, and working hard to enjoy the things you want! I have never really wanted to do anything else but fashion since I can remember; even as a little girl, I played “boutique“ by setting up “stores“ in my room. My twin bed was the counter, dolls or my mom or little brother were the customers, and I would take my mother’s shoes, clothes, jewelry and set up displays. I played like this for hours! Even if I was at my grandmother’s house. All I ever wanted was my own boutique. After a career in accessory design, import, and wholesale, I decided to move to retail and open my own store. I felt there was a missing component in my area…there were a lot of shopping centers and malls but no true specialty boutiques with personal service and simple things like actually being waited on and someone making suggestions to help you find the perfect outfit that makes you feel amazing. Everything had turned chain store OR to get great customer service the store was very expensive. I set out to have what I considered affordable pricing (mainly under $100) and great personal service that you would expect in a much more expensive store.
At present, I am working on moving my store into (gulp) a shopping center!
I never thought or felt my store was that “type.“ We are stand-alone, a bit private, sort of pride ourselves on “if you know, you know“ specialty boutique that is not cookie cutter. However, surviving Covid-19 in business has led me to realize some things, and learning to pivot is one of them. Right now, the location and ease are huge. I was offered a really great situation to grow and I took it! (Hence looking for a rebranding on the woman’s site.)
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I went to art school albeit I wanted to go to fashion merchandising school. My parents thought that was impractical. My dad later retracted that when he saw my growth for my business.
My mother and both grandmothers were all really beautiful and very trendsetting. Their style impacted me a lot, and I played dress-up and store in all of their closets while other kids played soccer. I used to “style“ my friends or anyone who would let me! [She laughs.]
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I have learned that the ability to pivot in business is the way to survive. And working hard to enjoy things that are important to you is priceless. Covid made me realize how little control we have. I no longer really say, “I can’t do XYZ because of the business this or that.“ During those first years of building the business, I worked 24/7 and never stopped. I missed out on a lot. I don’t do that anymore.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means to me that I am in control of my decisions emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially, no matter what.
MORE ABOUT VALERIE: I am a proud mom of four and love the beach! I am from Cherry Hill, NJ, where I reside currently. I was born in Philly, and I lived previously in Los Angeles, CA, and Scottsdale, AZ.
“If your heart is in it, you will find a way to make it work. I’m cheering you on!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m very passionate about art and design! I grew up doing crafts and having a genuine love for creativity. I fell in love with web design when I was a teenager and started building websites for fun. After art school, I worked as a video game designer until I decided to start my own business in 2008. At that point, I had been creating websites in my spare time for about 10 years. I was more than ready to use my education and passion for web design and turn it into a thriving business! I’ve now worked with over 500 female entrepreneurs by helping them launch beautiful brands and websites. I absolutely love what I do and that I get to work with so many amazing women from all over the world!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My mother was always very supportive of my hobbies and crafts, and we often did a lot of them together. To this day, we are still working on projects for my kids or for ourselves. Once I discovered websites (and Myspace), I fell in love with web design and wanted to learn everything that I could. I taught myself how to code, how to run a business (aka wear #allthehats), and how to market myself. Well, I’m still working on that one. [She winks.] I’m a big advocate of online courses.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: My business has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and yours probably will be too at some point. I think that this is normal and something that not many business owners talk openly about. Finding your path in business and in life can be hard and discouraging at times, but don’t give up! There are many tearful details that were not mentioned above, because my journey was not a direct path to success and six figures. But if your heart is in it, you will find a way to make it work. I’m cheering you on!
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: To me, feminism means supporting and empowering other women. I’m honored to support my female clients through my services and products, but also by just being someone they can chat with about all things business and life.
MORE ABOUT HEATHER: I’m a mom of three, queso critic, crime junkie addict, and purple lover.
“I want others to learn that it is easier to give up than persevering and creating the life of your dreams.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am a certified transformation coach and counselor as well as an author. More than a passion, this is my purpose in life. I look forward to adding value to women’s lives on a daily basis. And when I see their magnificent changes and fruitful results, my heart skips a beat…at times many beats [she laughs]. I have a great amount of interest in personal development, energy medicine, and other alternative techniques as I use a variety of them when I counsel a client. So, I have been doing this for the past 3 years and ever since then, it has been a beautiful journey where I, too, grow along with my clients. I have undergone various milestones in life—such as being a cancer survivor and a sexually assaulted child among others. And my over-empathetic nature always guided me to help and support others. Then I decided to make this my purpose in life but set healthy boundaries by behaving in an empathetic rather than over-empathetic manner.
I am currently working on a new course which is called The Love In Your Pocket Kit, which is a 6-week challenge for single women entrepreneurs who want to become the game-changers of their love lives and attract and enjoy a loving partner. What is wonderful about this course is that it is NOT a dating app or membership program as, to be honest, I too have been there and it takes much more than having your profile on such platforms. I am super excited about this course as it has immense topics such as developing the confidence mindset, loving and accepting your authentic self, and treating yourself exactly as you would want your partner to treat you. The law of attraction, cause and effect, rewiring old limiting beliefs, 50 common mistakes women make and end up attracting toxic guys, knowing your triggers, etc. are just some of all that is included in this course. I hope to introduce it on Valentine’s Day!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I lost my father at age 12, so I have basically been brought up by a single parent and faced many hardships which just made me more independent and a go-getter. When it comes to education, I have my business degree from the University of Westminster-London and my honors degree in fashion design from India. Those were my passions and this is my purpose.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I have learned many valuable things, converting my pain points into my gains—such as valuing each moment of my life and living it to the fullest. Cancer taught me this lesson was critical. Also, it taught me to love and accept myself exactly the way I am focusing on daily healing to become the best version of myself. I throw light on this in my book, Perseverance. I want others to learn that it is easier to give up than persevering and creating the life of your dreams. We are all diamonds and our value and shape is determined by the amount of heat and pressure we undergo in life, so never give up and keep on investing in your mental, physical, emotional, and energetic bodies and mind.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism has developed this negative connotation as many women think that feminism means hating men and, indeed, some feminists hate men. However, I am supporting the thought process that feminism explains the equality between both genders, not degrading one to make the other superior. Mother Teresa never went to an anti-war rally as she stated that the day she was approached to participate in a pro-peace rally she would surely be there. Indeed, low energetic emotions such as hatred, envy, sorrow, depression, etc. just drag us down and when we decide to learn from these emotions our vibrations automatically elevate.
We’re starting 2022 the right way! We’ve selected some of the best words of wisdom from our past featured women from our 2021 Woman Wednesdays. Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s do our best to make it the best year yet!
Annie A. from South Carolina
“Don’t try to fit a mold that wasn’t made for you.”
Priya from Chicago, Illinois
“If you can just take a moment and tune into yourself, you’ll get the answers to the right next step.”
JeanetteA. from Wilmington, DE
“Never give up on your dreams and, more importantly, never give up on you. You are worthy of all things great!”
Charli B. from Sydney, Australia; born and raised in Brisbane, Australia
“We are growing in a world that is rapidly changing and open to change. It’s time, now more than ever, to start believing in yourself and creating a life you’re proud of.”
Shaliah from Dolton, Illinois
“Never solely depend on one stream of income.”
Kathy from Katy, Texas
“The world is literally waiting for you to go out and be all you can.”
Kris from Durango, Colorado
“If you don’t fail at some point, you don’t really appreciate how great the great is.”
Devin from NY, living in Austin, Texas
“Discomfort is an important part of growth. When you are pushed to your edge, you learn how much farther you have the capacity to expand.”
Leah from Duluth, Minnesota, living in Cape Coral, Florida
“One thing that I’ve learned the hard way is to pursue your passion, not just the easiest path in front of you.”
Rumaisa from Quad Cities, IA
“We can truly change the circumstances in our life by shifting the way we think and feel about ourselves.”
Nicole from Spokane, Wa
“There are going to be a lot of people who don’t like you, not because you’re a bad person, but because there is something you have that they want.”
Mariam from Montreal, Canada
“I seek out to channel the lessons I’ve learned from Khadija every day.”
Mai from Tacloban City, Philippines
“Although not everyone will listen to you, or other people might think that you’re weird or different, I think that’s the beauty of it all–being unique and understanding who you are will really help you gauge who your people are and who you resonate with.”
Courtney R. from Vancouver, Washington
“We all need a great circle of empowering strong women to push us on all the hard days but also celebrate our wins.”
Stacy from Diego Martin, Trinidad, living in Morvant, Trinidad
“Life is not promised; we can be here today and gone the next. Cherish every moment. We, too, will get old.”
Elaine T.from Nassau, Bahamas
“I have learned to never ignore your passion. When you are walking in your purpose, your passion will indeed bring value to those you are meant to serve.”
Catriona from Scotland, living in Berlin, Germany
“When I gave up architecture after studying for seven years, people thought I was crazy, but I knew it wasn’t right for me. And I followed that feeling, and I have ended up in a place I would never have imagined, but it’s exactly where I’m meant to be!”
Tammi from the USA
“Start now!”
Clairafrom Helena, MT, living in Missoula, MT
“You deserve to thrive, simply because you are alive.”
Jemma from Essex, UK
“To fail simply means, to me, first attempt in learning.”
Rachel from Atlanta, Georgia
“When you learn to manage your mind, you can do anything!”
Brenna R. from Minneapolis, Minnesota
“…when you have a “why” that’s greater than yourself, you will do anything to see it succeed.”
Bruna from São Paulo, Brazil, living in Hungary
“There is no problem impossible to overcome if you have the will and faith in yourself to start.”
Holly R. from a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA
“Be your own advocate.”
Lauren T. from Milford, CT
“You deserve to have happiness. Sometimes, that may mean facing pain to make it to the other side of the rainbow.”
Valentine from Kenya, Africa
“Be the driver, but let passion be the drive.”
Camille from Nueva Ecija, Philippines
“Just do what you love; it’ll take you somewhere far.”
Michelle from Tampa, Florida
“Get to know others, step out of the bubble, and really connect with people. This is how we grow.”
Lisa from Mackay, Queensland, Australia
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Jacquelynn from Hattiesburg, Mississippi
“Life is so short and so beautiful.”
Dr. Naieema from Charlotte, North Carolina
“Homelessness was one of the most impactful experiences of my life.”
Topaz from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
“When your cup starts to overflow, get a bigger cup.”
Courtneyfrom Walla Walla, WA, living in Charlotte, NC
“Logic would have never told me to quit my stable job, sell everything, and move to a country where I had no job and didn’t know anyone, but it was the most life-changing experience of my entire life.”
Stephanie from Washington, U.S.
“I always find myself coaching and connecting with truly exceptional people–people who have challenged society’s expectations of them, have risen to the call they hear deep within, and are committed to creating their own story.”
Hanah H. from Indianapolis, Indiana
“We get to determine what our success looks like because we have control of our life.”
Terri from Korea, raised in Virginia, and living in Los Angeles, CA
“They’re just thoughts, yet we often let them define us, hold us back, shape our reality, etc.”
Megs from New South Wales, South of Sydney, Australia
“Your body is your gateway to your intuition and abundance. Let your body guide you.”
Cynthia from Malta, Europe, living in Ibiza, Spain
“Don’t let go of your vision.”
Maura from Venice, Italy, living in Raeford, North Carolina
“It is pointless to regret the past as we cannot change it. All we can do is understand that it is a piece to the puzzle.”
Fabi from Caracas, Venezuela, living in Miami, Florida
“I believe that the most impactful thing a business can do is get massive clarity on their brand message.”
Kate B. from Myersville, Maryland
“There are always affordable places to move to in each country.”
Jaycel from Papua New Guinea, living in England, UK
“I remember one of my uncles discouraged me to take up law as he believed it was a male’s profession. I did not let that crush my spirit and dream of becoming a lawyer. I proved him wrong.”
Ivana from Croatia, Europe
“Your vision of your business is going to guide you to where you want to go, but your energy of excitement and joy is going to make it a success.”
Natalie from Melbourne, Australia
“When things become stressful, it’s your values that will drive you.”
Cassandra from Boston, MA, living in Tampa, FL
“Don’t be afraid to sacrifice who you are right now to become who you are meant to be.”
Anessa from USA, living in British Columbia, Canada
“You have far more influence than you think, even when you don’t speak.”
Normadelle from Jamaica
“Know your worth, your skills, and your value.”
JoAnnfrom Sicily, Italy, living in Georgian Bay, Canada
“A theme that I include in my novel is that of the immigrant experience, the struggle, and prejudice experienced by many hardworking new immigrants.”
Stephanie from Western Australia
“Therapy and counseling and talking about our issues can be helpful when we just want to be heard and have someone to listen to us, and sometimes, it can be all we need.”
Christie from Utah, USA
“It took a lot of work and persistence.”
Katherine from Chile, living in New York, New York
“You will always be the problem and you will always be the solution.”
There you have it! Happy New Year! Take away all these words of wisdom to help you live your best life this 2022! Let’s make this the best year yet!
The Woman Wednesday Blog 