March 2020 — The Buddhist Drukpa Order is the only one in Nepal in which the nuns practice martial arts. They spend three hours every day exercising the physical, alongside the spiritual. Their empowering claim to fame includes daily training, during which they break bricks with their bare hands. These superheroes in the Himalayas have delivered supplies after an earthquake struck Kathmandu in 2015—successfully aiding hard-to-reach villages. Called “the kung fu nunnery,” they teach self-defense classes for women and have biked more than 14,000 miles to protest the human trafficking of women and girls. Click here to watch them in action!
As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2020, we dedicate this issue of Inkandescent Women magazine to the powerful women who are empowering others. Research in the Harvard Business Review finds that both men and women benefit from having a network of well-connected peers across different groups. And women who also have an inner circle of close female contacts are more likely to land executive positions with greater authority and higher pay. However, there was no link found for men in terms of the gender composition of their inner circles. The reason?
“Women trying to rise up into leadership face cultural and systemic hurdles that make it harder for them to advance, such as unconscious bias,” believes Shelley Zalis,ForbesWomen. “The study suggests that a way to overcome some of these hurdles is to form close connections with other women, who can share experiences from women who have been there, done that—from how to ask for what you’re worth to bringing your unique talents to leadership.”
We couldn’t agree more! And that’s why Inkandescent Women magazine is more than an online publication. It is a revolution! This summer we’ll be launching even more projects and programs that will support, embrace, and provide a platform for women to teach each other online: www.InandescentLearning.com. With coronavirus impacting all of our lives this month, and into the foreseeable future, we’ll look forward to providing a platform for you to share your thoughts, ideas, courage, and wisdom. Stay safe, stay well, stay at home, and please do stay in touch. Love, Hope