Creating Pivotal Change for Women & the LGBTQIA+ Community (Season 2 Ep. 11)
Mari and Jess chat with Lindsey Wilson, Senior Manager of Partnerships at Lean In. Yes, you read that right, the Lean In, the one created by Sheryl Sandberg. We knew Lindsey’s courageous life and various acts of bravery would not only be inspirational to our listeners, but we knew she could also provide specific insights into how she has leveraged her innate qualities, like being a dreamer, a doer, a curious-minded go-getter and to help bring marriage equality to the entire southeastern United States. This is one of the many things she's used her space and her voice for. In this episode, we hope you leave feeling really inspired. We also hope you can learn more about how you can use your own gifts with grit and determination, along with a big ol’ slice of humbleness, to create the change you want to see in the world. Many entrepreneurs start companies because they want something to improve or they want something to change. How do we listen across differences and get back to our why to really distill down the things that we care about the most, so that we can build lives that we really love? These are the things that we tackle in this episode, and we know that you're just going to absolutely love it.
What can you expect from this episode:
[5:14 - 13:05] Lindsey shares her story about growing up in the South - from homelessness, to working at the Waffle House. She talks about how her interest grew in the area of local, state and federal policy and how it impacts people’s access to opportunity. Lindsey inspires us with her journey and mindset in how she was in survival mode and at the same time dreaming of what she truly wanted for her life. We chat about how so much of this relates to entrepreneurship as well.
[14:01 - 21:34] We get to hear how Lindsey leveraged her community and connections in order to know which step to take next. She shares about the different forms of communities she rooted in throughout her life. Lindsey gives a lot of insights on where she is now with her current community and family. She expresses her value in gratitude and appreciation even the tiniest moments.
[21:54- 25:56] Lindsey shares the different resources provided with Lean In that are completely free and accessible to different groups of individuals, especially for women and women entrepreneurs. She talks about the global Lean In Circles, how they differ from other groups for women and how they are creating change for women in corporate, small businesses, and culture.
[26:27 - 32:32] We get a deep dive in Lindsey’s work in social change, philanthropy, non-profit and politics. She walks us through her favorite failing forward moments, what she learned and how her inner grit helped her get through those circumstances. Lindsey also shares how her outlook on life has her working with political campaigns and how she was able to apply that to do really successful activations. She walks us through her favorite grassroots activations that she was involved in, including her work for marriage equality for 8 years of her life before it was legalized nationwide.
[33:55 - 42:14] Lindsey gives us a tactical example of what she picked up over time to help her deliver the message of marriage equality. She shares the tools and methodologies that helped with the overall vision. Lindsey describes the relation of her work with marriage equality and total entrepreneurship disruption. She dives into the importance of your why and how she got to witness one of the biggest changes in history for gay couples.
[43:29 - 45:15] We conclude this incredible episode with Lindsey’s next generation of why and what she hopes to tackle next on her journey.