Choosing your path towards success: an interview with Nathalie Rajic from Her Way

Why waste an entire life on things that please others, that won’t make you happy in the end?

Female entrepreneurs, girl bosses and successful businesswomen who are turning their dreams into reality — as of late, we are hearing more about women who are succeeding in their careers. But how do you reach that point of success? What does that journey look like for women? We caught up with Editor in Chief Nathalie Rajic, creator of the female-driven platform Her Way.

Her Way is an online platform that shares inspirational content and ‘power portraits’ of women who have successfully achieved their goals — and, more importantly, how they got there. “Her Way was born out of a need to convey the honest side of the journey towards fulfilling your dreams,” Rajic explains.

The road to success “is not always a bed of roses,” and Her Way felt it was necessary to voice not only the victories, but the failures too. They encourage sharing stories of struggle, so that others can learn; they advocate telling anecdotes of success, for others to be inspired. “We noticed a demand from women wanting to help each other, to share their experiences and knowledge, and to ‘pay it forward’.”

Redefining success

Her Way is bringing a refreshing new take on what it means to be successful. Society has for a long time measured success based on income, and placed high-achieving men and women on pedestals.

There are so many inspiring stories where success looks different. Success is not exclusively associated with money, and this whole girl boss movement. You are cool doing what you are doing, as long as you dare to walk your own path. Find joy in that — and strength in that.

Doing things your way — and redefining what success means to you — is at the heart of what Her Way stands for. By solely giving a voice to those who have already achieved success, we are distancing ourselves from them — and inevitably presenting such accomplishments as something unattainable for the rest of us. “Once a woman has reached the top, the media often depicts her as some kind of superwoman,” says Rajic. “How come we can’t be superwomen on the way towards the top?”

Through interviews with power women, Her Way wants to “highlight stories from women who aren’t already up there, in a position slightly beyond reach, but who fight every day for their dream.” These are women that we surround ourselves with every day. As Rajic points out,

You only have to take a look around at your close friendships: there is bound to be a woman you are inspired by. Someone who does not necessarily run a multi-million company, but who still makes a difference in society, or for someone else, or for themselves.

While Rajic believes we each have a power woman inside of us — “we all battle daily obstacles, we all have baggage, and we all have challenges” — the women that Her Way features are those who dare march to the beat of their own drum. Her Way wants to encourage everyone to “do the things that you believe in”.

Sisterhood and female networking

The launch of the Her Way platform could not come at a more fitting time. From the #TimesUp campaign that launched the year, to women establishing female networking spaces and new ways of collaborating — this is a time of change. “I think us women are tired of putting up with nonsense; of not being allowed to be the person we want to be,” says Rajic. “We have not been permitted to stand up for ourselves the way men have.”

In this “post-revolution era,” with talks of sisterhood and solidarity, women are coming together to support — not undermine — each other. Challenging a culture of female rivalry is at the core of Her Way’s principles. The Her Way crew is entirely made up of female talent that contribute with writing, photography, graphic design and social media.

These are women who want to share their knowledge and inspire others in one way or another. It is partly like a mentorship, where we can provide opportunities to network. We think these girls are killing it — and we want to promote that.

A feminist-driven era

What do these societal changes mean? How do they alter circumstances for women? Rajic does not hesitate as she remarks that we live in a society where “it is all right to prioritize your career over family”. Today, “it is all right to not want to spend your days cooking in the kitchen. We have the fantastic opportunity in our society that we get to have a choice. And that is what we want to encourage.”

Rajic grew up in Malmö, Sweden — a place where “you were not allowed to have big dreams, and as a girl you were not allowed to be too vocal. That meant you were arrogant, or thought too highly of yourself.” This experience motivated her, and sparked a lasting interest in women issues. “When people said you cannot be that way, I said — why not?”

Today we are living in a time when “it is all right for us women to speak up.” In order to do so, and to achieve real change as a result of the conversations we are initiating, we must “wash away this tarnished perception of what a feminist is.” As Rajic boldly points out, “you cannot tell what a feminist looks like today. That image no longer exists. Today, anyone can be a feminist.”

To round things off, what is the message you should take away from Her Way — and why is this the time to embrace it? Illustrating the platform’s values, Rajic says:

There is no longer a requisite to live like everybody else thinks we should. Why waste an entire life on things that please others, that won’t make you happy in the end? We want you to be the best version of yourself. And we don’t mean that you have to start your own company — just that you dare to follow your dream.

At the end of the day, learn to listen and trust yourself. Embrace the support of fellow women, and do not be afraid to ask for help. Decide what success means to you — and go after it.

In addition to their online platform, Her Way is also active on Instagram.