“Great things happen outside of your comfort zone.”
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.
[My mum] 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.
Q and A with Sabrina H. from Oliver, British Columbia, Canada
“Growth begins when you commit to moving forward before everything feels perfect.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: What lights me up is building or reshaping workplaces into something efficient and effective, yet still fair and resolute.
A company must grow, stay profitable, and keep its edge, but the people within it deserve the same chance to grow in confidence, skill, and earning power.
My psychology degree gave me the human lens and my years in HR provided the systems foundation.
I help people and businesses succeed by creating systems and conversations where fairness and accountability can exist in the same room.
That balance is what I’m most passionate about.
When it’s right, everyone moves forward together and the business grows, and so do the people within it.
Smart Solutions was born from that intersection, after years of watching how companies rise or fall based on how they choose, support, and value their people.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a home led by strong women.
My mom raised me on her own, with my grandmother close by.
Together, they taught me that speaking up, thinking for yourself, and finding your own way are necessary, even when it goes against the grain.
That mindset became the foundation for how I work and lead today.
Learning has always been my way forward, so I went back to school as an adult and earned my degree in psychology while raising my two sons independently.
That time demanded focus and discipline, and it showed me how powerful education can be when it connects to real life experience.
By the time I finished my degree, I had fifteen years of administrative experience and a solid background in project management, operations, and logistics.
HR became the natural next step, a place to blend human understanding with structure and strategy. The last two decades have refined those skills and brought me to this point, where experience and knowledge come together in work worth sharing.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: If there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s that waiting for certainty only delays progress.
Growth begins when you commit to moving forward before everything feels perfect.
It may sound counterintuitive to someone who builds systems, but iteration is part of reality.
Holding out until version one feels flawless only makes it harder to reach version two, three, or four. That lesson was shaped and reinforced when I went back to school as an adult. It wasn’t about timing or convenience; it was simply about starting, and then starting again, until I reached the finish line.
It took many years to complete my degree because life often demanded my attention elsewhere, and each pause made returning feel more daunting.
In the end, I finished with a GPA of 3.28 and a clear understanding that progress is built one imperfect step at a time.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: To me, feminism is about equality.
It means that women should have the same freedom to define success on their own terms, whether that means leading a company, raising a family, starting over, creating something new, or doing all of it within one lifetime.
The strong women I grew up around did not receive the same support or opportunities as men, even though they were often the ones holding everything together.
Watching that shaped how I see the world and taught me that opportunity rarely shows up uninvited.
You build it, one decision at a time.
That same belief guides how I work today.
Now, in mid-life, feminism feels less about demanding a place at the table and more about using your voice once you are there.
It is about standing in your experience with confidence and not waiting for permission to be heard.
MORE ABOUT SABRINA: After years of watching businesses succeed or struggle based on how they chose to support their employees, it felt like it was time to take everything I had learned and turn it into something practical and lasting. That is where Smart Solutions by Sabrina comes from. Starting this business reflects what I value most: fairness, growth, and the belief that people and systems work best when they evolve together. It feels right to be building from a place where experience and intention finally align.
Q and A with Moriah from Brooklyn, New York, living in Hampton, Virginia
“…we have the greatest gift and honor in being able to control our thoughts, our perceptions of our circumstances...”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am incredibly passionate about my work with Black women—helping them to see themselves, in all their potential, but most importantly, in all they already are!
I found this passion as I navigated through different therapist roles at various agencies, but the spark was lit tremendously as I started to take a mental note of the population that I naturally gravitated towards the most—when I didn’t feel like I was “working” but simply supporting—and the burst of joy I’d feel every time a Black woman shared with me that they felt so much better (more confident) about themselves, and less shame, guilt, and inward confusion.
I found myself having visions of my future, and feeling extremely energized and inspired as I saw more and more people who looked like me, reaching the phase that I’d describe now as self-actualization (read up on “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,” if you’d like more on this). It gives me life, as some people say!
Currently, I am focusing on creative ways to reach, inspire, and empower more Black women, using the gifts I feel blessed to have.
I have already launched my YouTube channel, which is a dedicated safe, resourceful, and validating space created specifically for Black women, and I write whenever I feel inspired and share.
I will say, though, that it is my one-on-one conversations, be it in sessions, “run-ins” with other Black women that I have in my day to day, or even with friends and family, that I value most. To me, it’s nothing like those intimate spaces where vulnerability shines bright, and each person I encounter has an opportunity to feel seen, heard, valued, and appreciated. I believe it’s my calling.
I love that I get to do this! What I’ve also learned to love in doing this “work” externally with others, is that it also causes me to reflect more often and continue doing the work within myself.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My younger years were very much grounded in faith, family, culture, and education.
If I’m being honest though, there were also multiple experiences of fear and anxiety—only I didn’t realize that’s what it was then.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and unfortunately, I didn’t always have the safest experiences usually when leaving school—I will also never forget what 9-11 was like as a 4th grader living there, and this still impacts my experiences when I need to fly…but more on that another time!
I remember my group of friends and I, especially in middle school, would travel in packs and had to be “ready” always to physically defend ourselves (fight) because there were often others around from other schools (usually older kids), who didn’t have the best intentions and were looking to “jump” and stir up trouble with those of us who were younger or at other schools.
It wasn’t the most fun time in those instances, but it taught me early on, that even though I had supportive and safe parents and others who loved and cared for me, that there may be others in life that I may encounter who may not have the best intentions and I’d need to protect myself (and sometimes those I love and care for) in those instances.
Those are tough lessons to learn as a child, and I’m thankful that I’m here, despite the odds, and that I didn’t allow those experiences to taint my view of everyone.
I also encountered friends, mentors, and people (during that time, and as I got older) who were beautiful souls, good-hearted, and showed themselves to have good intentions.
My parents always kept me, and my brothers, grounded as well, which allowed for me to still see the good in people while still remaining vigilant, and even prayerful.
Even while those difficult experiences occurred, I was still able to be very active, and my parents encouraged creative outlets, which I chose through dance, song, and even a little bit of drawing and theatre, particularly while in high school.
I attended and graduated early from Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre with an Advanced Regents Diploma as Salutatorian of my high school class, which afforded me the opportunity to deliver a speech to my graduating class—an experience that mustered a fondness of public speaking, and it’s when I realized I was pretty good at it too!
I remember being a very inquisitive child who loved learning from and connecting with others intimately, and I truly fell in love with the arts (of all kinds) during my teen years.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Something valuable I’ve learned that I share often nowadays with others and I would love for EVERYONE to know is that, although life’s circumstances, the initial emotions we experience in our humanity, and even society often reminds us of what we do not have control over, we have the greatest gift and honor in being able to control our thoughts, our perceptions of our circumstances, our long-term emotional experiences, our words, our responses, our behaviors, how we treat others, how we treat (and speak to) ourselves, how we choose to raise our children, how we show up in the world, and all things pertaining to ourselves. The more we focus on that fact, the better off we are, the healthier and happier we are, and thus, the better the world can become.
I want others to learn, from my story, to love themselves, so they can show more love outwardly. I also want others to know that they can do ANYTHING they put their mind to; I just hope that what they put their mind to is for the greater good!
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: To me, feminism is about seeing the value in and embracing womanhood, recognizing our rights, strengths, and uniqueness as women, and confidently walking in our innate (God-given) power.
MORE ABOUT MORIAH: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York; however, for the last 15 years, I’ve lived in the state of Virginia. I currently live in Hampton, Virginia, with my loving husband of 8 years and vibrant 4 year old son.
Q and A with Elinfrom Örnsköldsvik (Oernskoeldsvik), Sweden
“I believe we all have a unique “spark”—a signature energy that, when expressed fully, naturally attracts the right people, opportunities, and impact.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m deeply passionate about human potential—the evolution that happens when we face our fears, embrace our challenges, and begin to live in alignment with who we truly are.
From a young age, I was drawn to personal development and understanding why we do what we do. That curiosity has shaped both my own growth journey and the work I do today.
I now coach multi-passionate and purpose-driven entrepreneurs who have big visions but often find themselves stuck in self-doubt or overthinking the launch process.
Through my work—and through Aligned Empowerment, the accountability community I co-founded—I help people bridge the gap between inspiration and execution.
My mission is to create spaces where dreams don’t just stay as ideas, but turn into tangible results through clarity, mindset work, and consistent action.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up with loving parents, yet I internalized the belief that love and approval had to be earned through performance.
That pattern of overachieving and striving for perfection shaped much of my early life—in school, sports, and even relationships.
Eventually, that same drive became both my biggest strength and my greatest teacher. It taught me the importance of balance—of finding self-worth beyond productivity, and of allowing rest, creativity, and joy to have a place alongside ambition.
This realization later became a cornerstone of my coaching: that sustainable success comes from alignment, not exhaustion.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: For much of my life, I tried to fit in—to belong. But the more I tried, the more disconnected I felt from myself.
My journey took me all over the world, from yoga trainings in India to retreats and entrepreneurship in Europe, searching for a sense of “home.” What I discovered was that home isn’t a place—it’s a state of being that comes from honoring who you are, even when it doesn’t fit the mold.
When I finally allowed myself to show up authentically—imperfect, multi-passionate, and real—everything started aligning. The right people appeared, opportunities opened up, and confidence followed.
But I also realized that embodiment alone isn’t enough—we need structure to sustain our flow.
The feminine creative energy needs the masculine framework of accountability and systems to thrive. That realization became the foundation for Aligned Empowerment—a space that combines heart, strategy, and accountability to help others create real momentum toward their goals.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: To me, feminism is about freedom—the freedom to choose your own path, express your truth, and define success on your own terms.
It’s about honoring both the strength and softness within us, and supporting other women to rise without dimming our own light.
Feminism, for me, is also deeply practical: it’s creating structures where women can thrive—financially, emotionally, and creatively—without burning out or compromising their authenticity. That’s the essence of what I strive for in my coaching and community work.
MORE ABOUT ELIN: I believe we all have a unique “spark”—a signature energy that, when expressed fully, naturally attracts the right people, opportunities, and impact. My work is about helping people reconnect with that spark, build the confidence and structure to protect it, and design a life that feels both aligned and empowered.
A: For many years, I struggled with confidence, crippling anxiety, sensory sensitivities, problems focusing, and overall not seeming to really fit in anywhere.
After discovering my love of art and practicing creativity, my friends stated that it was like I suddenly “came alive.” I found something that allowed me to express everything I was going through in a way that I couldn’t with words. This “ah-ha” moment sparked a desire to help others discover how to use their creativity as a means of healing, improving well-being, and using their unique voice through visual language.
Over the years, so many people have shared their desire to create, but are held back by the assumption that a person must be born with talent in order to practice creativity. They let the fear of failure of a “horrible end result” keep them from even trying. Sometimes they may give creativity a try, but then feel so overwhelmed with no guidance that the supplies just end up collecting dust on shelves.
To help with overcoming the limiting mindset that they can’t create, I decided to curate craft kits that included supplies and instructions to alleviate not knowing where to start. This is how DIYvinci was born. Today, we also carry individual art supplies, online courses for more in-depth support, and a free online community to connect with creatives of every skill level.
The name for DIYvinci was created with the intention of being a unique business name that would focus on art and creativity. It is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most influential painters in Western art history. The name DIYvinci represents the idea that anyone can be creative and express themselves through various media, just like Leonardo da Vinci did through painting, sculpting, architecture, and science.
The following quotes by Leonardo da Vinci highlight the embodiment of the vision for DIYvinci in that art and creativity aren’t only skills to be mastered but are a reflection, connection, and understanding of ourselves:
“The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies everything placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence.” —Leonardo da Vinci
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” —Leonardo da Vinci
Our future goals include developing sensory crafting kits for neurodivergent adults, producing courses that are created by artists with different disabilities to teach how art and crafting are still possible using different methods, and developing a therapeutic interactive art journal.
A: I grew up in a small rural town surrounded by corn fields in central Illinois. The house that I lived in with my parents had been in my family for over 150+ years. I am a middle child with an older sister and a younger brother. I was always a very quiet and overall reserved kid who had trouble making and keeping friends on my own and often relied on my older sister or parents to make introductions. The most common question I was asked growing up was, “Why are you so quiet?” My typical answer usually included a nervous giggle paired with a shrug and a simple response of “I don’t know. I just am.” This was usually met with disappointment as if the asker had been expecting an in-depth revelation of past trauma that would explain why I wasn’t like everyone else. How could I answer what I didn’t understand? How could I explain that what seemed so odd to everyone else was what came naturally to me? That it was a defense mechanism used to function in a society not designed for me. My lack of an answer made it all too easy for others to insert answers of their own. “Jennifer is just shy. Jennifer is too nice. Jennifer is a suck-up. Jennifer is controlling. Jennifer is just stuck up. Jennifer is a goody-two-shoes. Jennifer doesn’t care. Jennifer is boring. Jennifer is lazy. Jennifer is awkward. Jennifer is a nobody.”
Between my lack of confidence, learning, and social difficulties, and not fully understand myself, I found myself believing these answers and withdrew further into myself as a means of survival. Over the years, anxiety continued to build leading to full-out panic attacks, but I was still left without words to express what I was truly feeling inside. I believe my faith in God, my family, and my friends kept my head above water in my high school and college years. In college, I studied Web Systems with the intention of becoming a web designer. However, after graduation, I was met with nothing but silence from potential job opportunities. At this point, I was earning only around $500 a month in my part-time library job and was quickly becoming desperate to become more financially stable. I eventually landed a data entry job that I would remain at for the next 8 years. This opportunity taught me so much, opened me up to meet so many awesome people, and helped get me into a much better financial situation.
About 4 years into this job, I started to hit burnout. I didn’t recognize the signs at first, but they continued to build to a point where it was nearly impossible to function yet I still pushed through, day in and day out. In the last year of my job, I finally began to realize what was going on. I discovered I was autistic and was in a huge autistic burnout. My primary doctor referred me to a psychiatrist and during this appointment, it quickly became apparent that this NP didn’t have a lot of knowledge about autism in females or adults in general. I was told that because I was able to have a conversation and appeared intelligent that it wasn’t worth pursuing a diagnosis. I became frozen. For what felt like the millionth time in my life, I was once again left with more questions than answers. My emotions flooded over me and it was a struggle to even continue with the appointment. I did what I normally do and shut down, hiding everything, and simply went along with the conversation. It’s like being shoved in the backseat of a car that is way too small for an adult while the driver goes where they please, not seeming to notice your discomfort. Afterward, I cried. I had spent so much energy deciding to take this step just to be abruptly shut down and made to feel like I wasn’t even worth someone’s time. I began to wonder why I was putting myself through all this discomfort. Maybe I should just accept the answer that I was just an anxious person and give up.
However, giving up isn’t in my DNA. Not only am I curious, but I’m also stubborn. I refused to just leave this as it was. I started this year making changes, and I wasn’t about to stop until I had the answers I needed. That is when I discovered Dr. Natalie Engelbrecht from Embrace ASD. Not only did Dr. Engelbrecht offer assessments and diagnoses for adults with autism, but she is autistic herself. It didn’t take me long at all to decide to go forward with the assessment with her. Less than a week later, I got my report back. The first few lines read: Suspected Diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. While I did cry after reading this report, it wasn’t like before. This time, I was heard. This time, someone took the time to read through my struggles and validate that I’m not weird, crazy, or another forgotten statistic. For the first time, I felt like I could say, “I am autistic and I no longer have to pretend to be anything I’m not.”
I eventually was diagnosed officially as autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic, and dyslexic. These labels finally gave me words for my lifelong struggles and opened the door to begin to accept myself for who I am. At close to 8 years, I left my data entry job in pursuit of being a full-time entrepreneur. I had already been operating DIYvinci for over 4 years by this point and was determined to see it flourish.
While my business still isn’t earning enough to support me, I was recently given a huge opportunity through Synergies Work with both a business grant and an 8-week entrepreneurship learning program. For the first time in a long time, I felt like someone finally saw value in what I was doing and was willing to go to bat for me. Aarti, Shlok, and the whole Synergies Work team brought back a spark I feared I was losing.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: One thing I have learned over the years is that isolation doesn’t support growth. While I often retreated to isolation as a kid as a means of self-protection, I don’t allow myself to stay in that state for long anymore. I’ve learned that it is okay to ask for help and that I don’t have to do everything on my own. Connection with a community provides support, accountability, and an exchange of ideas that push you outside of your comfort zone. I highly recommend everyone seek out a community they relate with, that is encouraging, and that can help them see things from a new perspective.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: To me, feminism means opportunity. Many cultures can easily stereotype women into certain categories and when a woman attempts to do something outside those categories she’s often seen as weird. Feminism is when we shift this perspective and view women as valuable, and human, and are celebrated for our differences. As someone who entered the technology field and entrepreneurship – both of which are primarily dominated by men–I’ve witnessed firsthand how women can be overlooked and discriminated against simply because of being a woman. I believe respecting others equally as fellow human beings is the essence of feminism.
The Woman Wednesday Blog 