Dru Armstrong’s Post

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s have an honest conversation about “having it all.” A lot of women I know (myself included) have felt pressured to have it all, be it all, and do it all both personally and professionally. We want to be there for our families, succeed at work, and give back to our communities but when all of those things are said and done, there’s often no time left to show up for ourselves. I want to encourage my fellow female friends and colleagues out there that… It’s ok to not be everything to everyone. It’s ok to say “my calendar is full.” And it’s ok to ask for help when you need it. My advice? Find the level of support that you need to succeed, and don’t be afraid to increase it when life gets busy! Whether it’s calling for takeout during a go-live, getting extra eyes on a work deliverable, or requesting help with other life-admin projects, start seeing your “yes” to help as a “yes” to caring for yourself ❤️ Any other ideas or suggestions for balancing life and work? Would love to hear what tips and tricks have worked for you!

Each woman has a story. We serve women from all different backgrounds, experiences, and circumstances. Each woman’s journey is unique. Read about their stories at the link below. https://lnkd.in/ebwuab8

As we close out this Black History Month, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude. It is a moment to honor the trailblazers who paved the way, while also recognizing my own place in history as the first Black President of WIPN | We Inspire Promote Network. WIPN now celebrates its 15th year as beacon of empowerment, mentorship, and advocacy for women in the retirement industry. Our mission remains steadfast: to amplify the voices of women, break down barriers, and foster a more inclusive environment. Here's what this milestone means to me: 1. Continuing the Torch: I stand on the shoulders of giants—the women who came before me. Their resilience, wisdom, and determination have paved the way for my leadership. As the first Black President of WIPN, I carry their torch forward, ensuring that our collective voice grows stronger. 2. Championing Women: Throughout our journey, we have celebrated women entering the C-suite, stepping into the industry, and forging careers they once thought impossible. The WIPN community has been a catalyst for these achievements, providing support, mentorship, and a sense of belonging. 3. Advancing Equity: My commitment extends beyond this role. I pledge to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion at every turn. Together, we will create pathways for all women, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds to thrive. 4. Our Collective Impact: WIPN's impact reaches far beyond our individual stories. It ripples through boardrooms, offices, and retirement planning discussions. We are architects of change, shaping an industry that reflects the richness of our diversity. Join me in celebrating this moment! Whether you're a seasoned WIPN member or considering joining our network, know that your presence matters. Together, we will continue to break barriers, uplift one another, and leave our mark on the retirement landscape. #WIPN #BlackHistoryMonth #LeadershipJourney #InclusionMatters #Trailblazers #connectionsthatcount 🔗 Learn more about WIPN: www.wipn.org 🔗 Join WIPN: https://wipn.org/join/ Let's honor the past, embrace the present, and shape a future where every woman's voice is heard. With gratitude, Rosalyn K. Brown President, WIPN

Check out these valuable insights into the joys and challenges of navigating the roles of motherhood, career, and faith.

cw: abuse White women: WE NEED TO RECLAIM OUR POWER. For hundreds of years, white men and their white women enablers have held onto power and conditioned us to support them ✔️Abusing us into submission mentally, physically and sexually ✔️Making us feel that we are not knowledgeable enough, thin enough, or pretty enough for our opinions to matter ✔️Infantilizing us with rewards for trusting and obeying them  ✔️Encouraging us to distrust other women and ourselves ✔️Distracting us with social media and entertainment so we would not pay attention to ourselves ✔️Calling us a bitch for daring to assert ourselves until we stopped trying. We have become so used to all of this, that we are not even aware of how much power we have and how much is possible for us when we unite and lift each other up instead of competing with each other. It’s no wonder why so many of us are lying awake at night worrying about our future and our daughters, nonbinary and trans kids and feeling stuck and confused. Do you want to reclaim your power? The truth is we as white women have tremendous power. Today far too many of us are using our power to uphold white supremacy and harm women, especially Black and Indigenous women. We are also harming ourselves. When we choose to unite with Global Majority women, we can change everything. That’s what the Interracial Sisterhood Coalition is all about. If this message speaks to you, would love for you to join the White Women Cohort, where we will unlearn our conditioning, and learn how we can stand in our power united with our Global Majority sisters. https://lnkd.in/g2MBm6QK #whitewomen #endracism #overthrowthepatriarchy #interracialsisterhood #interracialsolidarity

Check out these valuable insights into the joys and challenges of navigating the roles of motherhood, career, and faith. Watch more videos: https://lnkd.in/eaiHAYAe

When I was gifted with the greatest job of my lifetime - becoming a mother, I quickly realized the world I live in is not one that sets up working mothers for success. In the newborn days, I'd be either considered a bad mother for not breastfeeding (and we were all told breastfeeding >> formula) or would be on the "motherhood track" aka stagnate in my career. As the higher earner in my family, the latter would've affected our financial situation significantly. Thankfully, I had an amazing manager who gave me the flexibility to work from home most days, and this was before COVID. In other words, I was blessed to not have to choose between work and family. He also had a brilliant plan that allowed me to transition back to work on a smaller but still highly visible project and slowly added items to my plate over time. Because of this setup, I kept up breastfeeding for a year, and within that year, I not only uncovered ~$11M additional revenue for the business but also started building the strategy and infrastructure for an entirely new product category. I share this less to make it about me, but more to demonstrate the potential positive outcomes for BOTH work and home when working mothers are supported appropriately. That's not to say that even I, with a better setup than most, didn't have challenges as well. However, I think about all those who didn't have the supportive manager that I did - I'm not surprised at all that almost half of "highly qualified women with children leave their jobs voluntarily." If I'm honest, I've contemplated leaving the workforce several times myself. If you know me, you'd know how out of character this is for me. How might we be the change we wish to see? 💡 If you are a manager and have direct reports who are parents, talk to them about how to best support them. If you do this well, it will pay you back in dividends in terms of their loyalty and performance. 💡 If you have folks on your team about to take parental leave, build a plan before they go out on leave about their transition back to work. Don't make assumptions about whether they'd want to take on more or less work after leave. Every person is different. Build the plan together and check in on it. 💡 If someone is just coming back from parental leave, check your biases. Are you somehow lauding a father because he's more involved at home and questioning if a mother will be "dedicated to her job"? This unconscious bias could come out in performance reviews and catching it early can help close the pay gap. Women without children are paid at levels much closer to that of men. Pay gap for mothers and men increase with every additional child - really upsetting but true. 💡 If you are in positions where you directly influence HR policies, advocate for parental leave for BOTH parents to equalize the playing field. What else would you add to the list? #genderequity #workingmoms

I see a boom in woman-owned million-dollar, one-person businesses in the making. Many of these super-smart, capable and passionate women leaving the world of traditional jobs--when forced to choose between the requirements of an office job and the human beings they have brought into the world--are going to find their way to starting successful businesses when they need to make a living. And they will discover they have learned a lot about how to run a business from the corporate work they have done. It's the inflexible employers' loss and entrepreneurship's gain. Let's keep reminding our daughters that entrepreneurship is a great option for realizing their full career potential--with no apologies necessary for being great mothers. They do not have to accept that they don't deserve to have rewarding and high-paying work, or must neglect their children or live with toxic stress as a tradeoff. #onepersonbusiness #milliondollaronepersonbusiness #tinybusinessbigmoney

Be your own act I've started using my commute time to listen to masterclasses rather than doom scrolling on my office days, and it's been a game-changer! 🎧📚 I don’t usually head to the office on a Monday but the summer childcare juggle begins this week. Today I finished another brilliant masterclass. This time it was hosted by Whitney Wolfe Herd, and her advice to "Be your own act" really struck a chord with me. Especially Whitney’s transparency on her journey really hit home —I spent so much of my younger years trying to make myself smaller to not take up too much space. My perspective originally changed a few years ago when I read “How Women Rise." Since then, I've been even more dedicated to speaking my mind, even if it sometimes lands me in hot water. 🔥 Throughout my career so far, I’ve had a mix of bosses—some who would advocate for you even when you weren't in the room and are still important parts of my life(they know who they are), and others who, well, let's just say they patched up that glass ceiling when they burst through it. 😂 These experiences have taught me both how I want to be treated and what I won’t accept. I’d love to hear from other women in business: what was your defining moment? #Masterclass #WhitneyWolfeHerd #HowWomenRise #SelfAdvocacy #Leadership #Inspiration #CommuteWisdom #TakingUpSpace