As you hopefully are aware, Voices is sponsoring a Homestyle Happy Hour this Friday at the home of Karen Miller (300 W. Broadway, 5-7). I have been extending invitations to my friends hoping that they will join us for some fun after-work girl time. I have received some interesting responses suggesting that a few of those friends wouldn’t feel comfortable attending because they do not fall into the category of a businesswoman. “I’m just a teacher… just a secretary… just a caregiver….”

These responses make me sad. Although, in many ways, I think we have come so far, broadening our understanding of what we “do” as women. Yet there are still areas where we diminish ourselves. Anyone who has ever spent time in a school knows the many MBA-worthy skills that educators employ every day. Team building, supervision, discipline, paperwork, visioning, the list goes on. Likewise, what business has ever been run effectively without the many multi-tasking efforts of a professional secretary? And who among us has ever cared for children or parents without employing negotiating worthy of a CEO?

While Voices is for women in business, I hope that everyone views that through the broadest possible lens. There isn’t a single role in life that Voices does not recognize as being a true occupation. When we created Voices, it was extremely important to me that our efforts were inclusive of all types of jobs that we have as women. Believe me, some of the best “networking” I have ever done is one mom to another, one daughter to another, one friend to another.

So please feel included in this invitation. We hope to see women from all business backgrounds at our gathering this Friday. All you have to do is RSVP to me at leigh.voices@gmail.com

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