Women's Month: Nadine
WOMEN'S MONTH
Without women, Someone Somewhere would not be possible. For this reason, during this Women's Month, we will share the stories and experiences of Nadine, Dani, and Pam. Three women who, through their leadership and talent, transform each of their areas to impact lives and generate change in the world.
Nadine
Nadine comes from a Palestinian family who immigrated to Canada. Growing up in this diverse environment has allowed her to master four languages and explore the world. With a background in administration, business, and indigenous rights, she is in charge of our Supply Chain area. Additionally, she is part of different initiatives that seek to generate an impact on communities and the lives of women. She is a member of the World Economic Forum as Impact Officer & Global Shaper, and she is also a mentor for the Universal Women's Network. Among her personal projects is Neighbourhood SHEro, the podcast she created as a platform to highlight those women who are always present in their communities, no matter how big or small, and constantly seek to transform them.
After this brief introduction, tell us, what do you think is the most important thing we can do for our communities?
I think that, among the most important things we can do for communities, there are three. The first is learning and education. It is essential for us to understand the context of other people and also for them to understand ours, in order to discover if there are opportunities or possibilities for development within and outside each community. Sharing our stories is very important to make us all more aware. The second action is to empower people, especially women's communities. They don't have to be indigenous or remote communities; it's equally important to encourage those in our close circles. We must also understand that it's not about competing with other people, but about focusing on the abundance of opportunities. There are enough opportunities for everyone and therefore we must seek to be cheerleaders for others; that's what's important. Finally, we need to understand ourselves to be able to promote and educate on having different skills and weaknesses. We must understand our role in the world and focus on our achievements, rather than on our weaknesses. These are the three things we can do for our communities: learning, empowerment, and introspection. If we have all three, we can grow as a community and achieve our objectives, personal and professional goals.
What do you think is the biggest challenge today for strengthening women among ourselves?
That's a great question. Obviously, I have a different context than women in Mexico. My nationality is Palestinian; my parents are Palestinian immigrants, and I grew up in Canada. So I grew up with two nationalities, between two different worlds. On the one hand, the closed culture of Palestine, where there are many differences between women and men, and on the other hand, Canada, which is more open. While we still have a lot of work to do, we are closer to closing the gender equality gap. However, competition stands out. People, specifically women, have our own challenges in life, and we need to face personal and professional struggles. It's common to focus solely on individual success and meeting our needs, without thinking about how this affects others. So, we need to change our mindset and achieve our goals alongside others; be more conscious of that and think "stay in your lane". You have your own life, your own challenges, your own goals, go for it! Keep your priorities, but understand that others have their own challenges and a totally different context. We must stop competing with other women, and start thinking that we are a community of people who can help each other. I have realized that my colleagues, my friends, are not my competition but my motivation. It makes me happy to see them succeed and I hope that, for their part, it also brings them joy to see me succeed. This supportive mindset is essential for strengthening women among ourselves.
Using your own SHEro concept, is there anyone within Someone Somewhere you consider a SHEro? If so, tell us the reasons.
All the women here are SHEros. And I'm going to talk a little bit about how the concept came about. Before coming to Someone Somewhere, I was a business consultant for a very large company, and I was for many years. There, obviously, there was a lot of focus on business and technology. They had their own development plan for women in business, but I was surprised to realize that, outside of that field, there were many promising people on the streets. For example, I met a woman in Toronto who helped Syrian refugees learn English so they could find jobs in Canada, and I thought, "Wow, what a cool project, how amazing this woman is, this SHEro." Sometimes we have the opportunity to do what we are passionate about, but we don't have a way to communicate with others, we don't have our own platforms to celebrate our contributions to the community. So I thought we needed a space to tell the stories of different people, especially women, who are not in the world of business or technology, but who are SHEros in our communities. I believe that Someone Somewhere is a community of many SHEros; in the office, in the communities, in their homes, working both for their families and for themselves. Each of the artisans is a SHEro, definitely.
Fa is also a role model, because she is a powerful and compassionate woman, who is aware of everything that happens and does not neglect her own life because of it. She is a very strong and inspiring SHEro for Someone Somewhere. But there are also many more women who make their own impact on each team. Everyone has their own values, so it's very difficult to choose just one SHEro in Someone Somewhere. We are a team where 62% of us are women, and each one is powerful, passionate, and an inspiration to the team. On the other hand, we are also very focused on the communities and the growth of the artisans. They are the SHEros for the entire team and for all the customers who buy from Someone Somewhere.
At Someone Somewhere, we want you to be able to interact with women leaders face to face, as we know that makes a difference. What can you tell us about this?
Absolutely. I think we are very fortunate to be able to work in a team where almost all of us are women. In my previous job, I had never worked with women, only with men (during my six years as a consultant). At that time, I didn't understand the importance of having female colleagues or role models. When I arrived at Someone Somewhere... wow! It was incredible to see that most of the leaders were women. How cool that this company exists and that we have this opportunity. And not only within our company's positions, but also in the communities we work with. For me, it's crazy! A blessing!
From your experience, how would you define the difference of working with women?
I think that "if you are the best person for your role, you are the best person for your role." Your skills are your skills; but in some areas where problems need to be solved, or projects structured, as women we have an easier time ensuring that everyone can use their skills, and at the same time, ensuring they have the opportunity to find new ones. We all have our own capabilities, but we also have goals and it is very important that we contribute to achieving them.
Yes, usually women believe it is of utmost importance to get to know everyone on our teams, isn't that right?
Absolutely. Women are more holistic. We can see that it's not just about the face in front of you, but about what's behind each person. This holistic approach is very effective not only in organizations like Someone Somewhere, but also in communities. For example, I met Petra, who is the group leader in Puebla, and she is always thinking about other people. She divides the work based on the skills and time of each artisan, and at the same time focuses on teaching them. That is very impressive, because Petra is not only thinking about herself, but about all the people under her charge, and that is exceptional for me.
For the Someone Somewhere team, Nadine is undoubtedly a very valuable member, and we are very grateful to be able to work with her. Currently, 73% of our leadership roles are held by women.
Nadine is wearing one of her favorites: Confetti Women's T-shirt, made by artisan women from Naupan, Puebla.Get it here!
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