You are the Leader You’ve Been Waiting For

Gina Messina, Ph.D. 03/22/2022

African American woman sitting at desk looking empowered as a leader

Do you think of yourself as a leader? You should, because whether you realize it or not, you are the leader you’ve been waiting for. We often think of leadership as a strictly innate quality that you either have or you don’t and live in a culture that strongly associates leadership qualities with male characteristics. In fact, for most of history, the most powerful leadership positions have been held by nearly all men. Although women have made great strides, we continue to face gender and intersectional inequities that seem to simply change shape rather than go away. Women’s work is never done and continues to go unrecognized and be undervalued. We all know what it is like to be “speaking while female,” “mansplained,” or finding…

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Categories: Leadership & Career Advancement, Skill Building & Professional Development

Tags: leadership, women's leadership

Gina Messina, Ph.D.

Tips For Improving Your Quality of Life

Do you have a good quality of life? What exactly does quality of life refer to? Does quality of life simply refer to happiness or is it more complicated than that? Quality of life is discussed in various fields of study, including psychology, international development, economics, and healthcare. The term can refer to different constructs depending on the context in which it is used. For this reason, and possibly frustratingly, there is no single widely agreed-upon definition of quality of life. Having said that, the World Health Organization (WHO) provides us with a sense of direction by presenting one definition. They define quality of life as “an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which…

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Institute Editorial Team 02/15/2023

5 Exercises for Practicing Self-Compassion

Have you ever beat yourself up or said unkind words to yourself? If you’re like most of us, your answer is probably “yes.” Especially as women, we tend to be our own worst critics, and we usually treat ourselves in cruel ways that we’d never treat other people!But there’s a different way. Self-compassion is the practice of being kind and understanding with ourselves — not only when we succeed, but when we fail, too. Here, we’ve compiled 5 exercises you can use to start practicing self-compassion. These practices are based on extensive research by Dr. Kristin Neff, a psychologist who specializes in self-compassion. Try to incorporate them into your daily schedule as much as possible. You can use these 5 exercises at any time, day…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 02/28/2022

women leaders need to be prioritized in the workplace

Why Many Organizations Don’t Prioritize Women’s Leadership and How They Can Start

As women, we have come to understand and acknowledge how being successful at work can be more challenging for us than our male counterparts. Many women must balance their advancing careers with motherhood, healthy relationships, and personal wellness. Women are also more likely to face sexual harassment at the workplace, leading them to remain silent and subservient in their jobs or leave their careers altogether. You may think that in 2021 the vast majority of businesses have a good understanding of the difficulties women face in the workplace but sadly, this is not the case. While some employers are making great strides in gender equity, many companies are still falling short of providing women the opportunities to excel in their careers. A recent study by…

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Institute Editorial Team 07/26/2021

Women in Today’s Workplace: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

The post-pandemic workplace is littered with uncertainty for workers in all industries, especially women. While the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the lack of a steady workplace for women is still a prevalent problem. COVID-19 and Women’s Employment During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were 33% more likely than men to work in an industry shut down by the pandemic. Research indicated that jobs held by women were 1.8 times more vulnerable than those held by males. Women made up 39% of the employment on a global scale, but they accounted for 54% of the job losses worldwide. Economists also report that women were much more likely than men to be furloughed during the pandemic. In addition, women were furloughed for longer periods than…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 09/12/2022

Thriving in the Gig Economy: A Primer for Women

This post is based on a webinar hosted by Dr. Denise Reading. It’s the first in an ongoing series of workshops, webinars, and for-credit courses offered by the Institute for Women, Wellness and Work to help women explore freelancing, consulting, and solopreneur opportunities as a path to a satisfying and successful professional experience. “Gig economy” is a phrase you’ve probably heard a lot, especially in the last couple of years. It refers to the part of the workforce (more than half!) that doesn’t work full-time for one employer, but instead takes on multiple opportunities from different sources. The term got its start in the music industry. Musicians generally refer to a performance they’re hired for as a gig. That terminology has spread to other industries,…

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Institute Editorial Team 06/07/2021

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