Why Our Stories are Vital to Changing the Gender Gap and Promoting Women

Karen Maria Alston
Aug 28, 2017 · 4 min read

“Our actions are guaranteed to affect others. Because we are not alone in this world, much of our learning about ourselves comes from our interaction with others. Our relationships are our teachers. We learn from each other.”
Tae Yun Kim

We learn from each other……

For millennia humanity has embraced the power of storytelling. We have been sharing stories for thousands of years. Before the invention of the printing press we gathered together in groups to listen and share stories. We told the experiences of others and gave witness to the accuracy of those experiences. We learned about other people and cultures, we listened to examples of mistakes and doubts, we gained inspiration, knowledge and experience from the stories of others told over and over for centuries. Throughout our development as human’s elders, wise men or women, or visitors to our towns, villages or cities shared stories. The simple but powerful act of storytelling shaped nations and created institutions that have existed for thousands of years. Our stories are powerful and it is one of the core reasons why I created The Spectrum Circle. A safe space were women of all backgrounds could share their authentic stories to teach others.

Founded in 2015, The Spectrum Circle is a professional development educational platform for women to share career and personal experiences to inform about their life journey. The goal of The Spectrum Circle is to help women achieve gender parity with men in their careers and expand the lens of what is possible. The Spectrum Circle uses events, webinars and trainings to expose women to a variety of stories and diverse learned experiences from leaders in numerous industries and backgrounds.

Women featured at The Spectrum Circle utilize their life stories, experiences, authentic conversations and backgrounds to change perceptions, inform others and inspire women to follow their unique paths to success. A plethora of women who are makers, researchers, educators, creatives, executives, leaders, innovators, drivers and influencers in business or industry are featured at The Spectrum Circle programs. The Spectrum Circle brand is loosely based and homage to an African American female superhero named Spectrum (MarvelÔ) who uses the power of energy to change the world.

Since its founding in 2015, The Spectrum Circle has built a strong and growing brand. Our following is mostly professional women who range in age from 25–60 and the majority of our followers are millennials ages 25–35. The women and men who attend The Spectrum Circle events are looking for mentors, authentic stories, guidance, examples and assistance in understanding the roadmap of how to navigate their careers for optimal success and develop strategies to achieve personal goals and aspirations.

In my travels and as I share the story of The Spectrum Circle people ask me why is storytelling important? How does it change the narrative? How does it affect women and truly change the landscape in which we work and develop our careers? How do we measure the impact of our stories?

My passion for helping others to live their best life and to expand the lens of what is possible is the reason why I created The Spectrum Circle. Over the years, I have spoken with thousands of women and realized that our greatest lessons came from the examples of others. Without learning, listening, viewing, sharing and talking to other women I would not have the life I lead today.

We learn from each other. We grow as human by interacting and having relationships with each other. Our stories help encourage, teach, inspire and motivate others. We have moved into a culture where we are more and more self-contained on our phones and electronic devices. We are losing the power of telling our stories. Sadly, we are motivated to only share the “good” parts of our life on social media and not share the lessons learned or failures. We measure each other by the pretty perfect pictures we see daily on Facebook or Instagram.

Sharing our stories is vital to our growth. Asking for help and learning from the mistakes of others helps each of us to grow and get further in our life’s journeys.

As women, trying to advance our careers and gain gender parity we must learn from the shared examples and experiences of other women. Tell your story and inspire the next generation. Help change the narrative of what women can achieve and open the door of possibility to someone else.

Your story is vital to the process. Share your story, all of it to help others. For more information on The Spectrum Circle visit www.thespectrumcircle.com

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Written by

Steel Magnolia, Brand Expert, Influencer, Female Founder, Speaker, Nerd, Founder @spectrumcircle @alstonmarketing Social Butterfly & AOL Alumni

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