ROI BLOG

ROI Women Changing the World

  • Team ROI

March 7, 2017

  • ROI Community
  • Member Voices
  • ROIer Impact

Happy International Women's Day!

We are excited to celebrate the incredible women in our network who are devoting their time and talent to empowering other women! Here, we asked a few amazing ROIers to tell us a bit about themselves and their initiatives. This is just a sampling of the many individuals within our network who are devoted to blazing a trail of confidence, equality and dreaming big for generations of women to come. Meet four of the remarkable women making this happen, draw inspiration from their powerful messages, and if you're moved to get involved, follow the relevant links below

This one goes out to extraordinary women working day in and day out to make a difference for their families, communities and the broader world. #IWD2017

Women's Day Blog Photo Compilation
 

Narkis Alon

Narkis Alon Photo
Photo credit: Michal Rozenberg

Organization and position: CEO and Co-Founder, Double You 

Fun fact: My last name is the same as my husband's first name. 

From Narkis: We, women, want it all. Children, a relationship, friends, a healthy body and an amazing career that makes a positive impact and money. My friends, my colleagues and I often feel that to succeed at work we are supposed to behave like men: show no feelings when it's professional, not mention our family needs and keep our pregnancy plans for later. When it comes to unreasonable situations at work, people often say that "it's business, it's not personal." I believe there is no such thing; our businesses are super personal! We invest our most precious time and energy in them, we give them our creative resources and ideals, and we want to bring them our best selves. To be our best selves in the workplace, we, women, must not shut down our emotional side; if we do so, we neglect to use some of our strongest assets: our intuition, our emotional intelligence, our creativity and our morals. I am obsessed with this message. 

How can people get involved? Join our Costa Rica retreat, join our Facebook group (for women only) and like our Facebook page.

 

Paula Kweskin

Paula Kweskin
Photo credit: www.nurfotos.de

Organization and position: Producer, Honor Diaries; Founder/Director, Censored Women's Film Festival

Fun fact: I have a degree in Spanish Literature and thought about becoming a Spanish professor.

From Paula: I used to think that there's a difference in the way we bleed, the way we cry, the way we feel. Then I realized that's not true. All women have the same goals and dreams. They want to marry for love, they want their bodies to be safe, they want to make their own choices. That's regardless of culture and religion – all women should be free.

How can people get involved? The Censored Women's Film Festival gathers censored voices from around the world using film to break cultural and religious taboos. If you want to give voice to the voiceless and host your own festival, and learn more about the movie and movement behind the festival, Honor Diaries, go to www.honordiaries.com.

Or, join us at a festival this March! March 8-10 at Brooklyn College; March 8 at the Miami JCC; March 21 at 12:30pm at the Commission on the Status of Women (UN Plaza).

 

Noa Maiman

Noa Maiman
Photo credit: Tili Sharon, with makeup by Dikla Sharabi

Organization and position: Indie filmmaker and actor; Creator of Toolkit for Rape Recovery – a YouTube series

Fun fact: On February 28th I did my first-ever stand-up at an open mic evening. I loved it!

From Noa: I love to light up dark places. Providing a voice for people who don't usually get to have a voice.

This for me is Toolkit for Rape Recovery – giving a voice and a face to so many silent survivors of sexual abuse.

To share the knowledge and spread love.

Storytelling is the best healing force out there. Nothing excites me more than getting to know people and their stories.

How can people get involved? You can all share the knowledge. Stats say that ¼ of your friends will find it useful.

Find the English version of Toolkit for Rape Recovery here, and find the Hebrew version here.

And be kind – you never know what a person next to you is hiding behind a smile.

 

Sarah Michal Waxman

Sarah Waxman
Photo: courtesy of Sarah Waxman

Organization and position: Founder and Chief Momma, At The Well

Fun fact: My hand-eye coordination got me into college. I played Division 1 Lacrosse for the University of Pennsylvania.

From Sarah: It really all goes back to Queen Esther for me. Initially, she was resistant – not sure or personally motivated to take a stand to help her people, but when she was faced with the reality of the moment, she understood that she was the right person, at the right time, with the right skills to make something happen for her people. I humbly see some of myself in her story.

At The Well is a long-overdue women’s wellness organization rooted in Judaism. It's accessible, innovative, and dare-I-say-it: cool. I spent years teaching yoga and studying Buddhism, in awe of the ways in which we could connect body, mind, heart, spirit and earth – but longing for more, and so I started asking questions of my teachers. Funny thing was, a lot of them were Jewish, and soon I began to learn about this mysterious thing called Rosh Chodesh. Upon further investigation, I was overjoyed to find all of these things – my connection to my body, mind, heart, spirit, earth, plus WOMANHOOD – all deeply rooted in Judaism, and this ancient ritual of monthly women’s gatherings around the new moon.

How can people get involved? Join our monthly newsletter to learn about women’s health and Jewish spirituality. Go to www.atthewellproject.com to sign up, and check out our Moon Manual for the current Hebrew month. Of course, please like us on Facebook and follow us on IG (@atthewellproject)!

Curious about starting your own Well Circle (Rosh Chodesh gathering)? Email me. We can get you all the support you need!