Two years ago on Friday, I launched my first interview in my series on breadwinning, six figure, millionaire women. It was with Chelsea, then from Mama Fish Saves (now Smart Money Mamas).
Since then I’ve had the honor of featuring the stories of dozens of women in different careers – from a former police captain, to women in IT, doctors, corporate careers – the list goes on. Every time I have the opportunity to feature the story of another amazing woman, I feel a deep sense of joy and accomplishment. Their story joins over forty others on this site, with their story helping to reach and teach other women what the varied paths to financial success can look like.
Today I’d like to talk about why I have dedicated two years to finding and featuring the stories of these specific women – and what have I learned from them over the years.
Why I Launched This Series
It’s simple, really.
I launched the series because I couldn’t find anything like it online.
You see, I had always been inspired by, and learned from, the various stories of successful women. Back when I was a brand-new college graduate, with a newborn son, I would read the stories of successful corporate women and try to learn from them.
I would also seek out and read the stories of financially successful women. But there was always a problem I had with the kinds of stories featured in the major media.
Many of the stories were of women who were so successful I couldn’t relate to them.
They were CEO’s of major corporations earning millions of dollars a year, or founders of businesses bringing in nine digits of revenue per year. And their stories were wonderful, inspiring, and educating – but I couldn’t see myself in them.
That’s why, when I got the idea for this series, I specifically wanted it to feature ordinary women. And I also specifically wanted to feature women who were the breadwinners OR earned six figures OR were millionaires.
I wanted them to share how they got into the careers they’re currently (or formerly) part of. To talk frankly about the ups and downs of being a female breadwinner in a world where we’re common but not talked about. To give financial advice, and their top tips for other women.
Essentially, I wanted them to share their stories and their advice, and let those stories become a resource for other women who are seeking their own paths.
Each story is unique. You may not relate to one woman’s family situation, career choice, background, or circumstances. But my genuine hope is that among the forty amazing women featured here, you can find someone to relate to. To be inspired by. Someone who can help show you a path to a successful career, success with your finances, and how to deal with being the breadwinner.
Overall, I feature these stories for you. Over the years I’ve heard from many women that they love this series. That it inspires them, helps them see they’re not alone, or has shown them a path to a place they never thought they could reach.
What I’ve Learned
I’ve honestly learned so much from these women over the years.
I’ve learned there’s no such thing as one single recipe for success. Most of the women I’ve spoken with have taken a meandering path to get to where they are today. Life has given them so many twists and turns, that where they’ve ended up doesn’t resemble where they started. Some have made money mistakes and started over at a late age.
Even though there’s not one recipe, there are common threads. Women who have brought their income into the six figure range have education. They’ve worked hard. They’ve mastered negotiation, and learned to ask for what they’re worth in the work world. Women who are millionaires have saved and invested for a very long period of time, often in boring investments, that have steadily increased their net worth. Patience, confidence, and a determination to overcome obstacles has been a key in almost all their stories.
They’ve nearly all experienced issues at work due to their gender. In every interview, I ask the interviewee if they’ve experienced issues at work because they’re a woman. Out of the 40+ women, only one has said “no”. The others have stories that vary from garden variety sexism to the outrageous. Many women have experienced issues because other people made assumptions about their career ambitions, or desire for certain kinds of work, because they have kids. I am very confident if I interviewed forty successful men, I would get very different answers to this question.
Even though we have a long way to go, women used to have it much harder than they do now. I have interviewed women in their 50’s and 60’s, as well as women in their early 20’s. The women who started their careers in the 70’s and 80’s had it much harder than we do now – just like their mothers starting careers in the 50’s and 60’s had it harder than they did. With each generation, we succeed not just for ourselves, but for those that will come behind us. Our stories set an example for women behind us to follow, and to improve upon. Hopefully the work world of our daughters and granddaughters looks very different from the one we have today.
They’re all amazing. I can’t even begin to say what an honor it’s been to bring these stories to you. There are so many amazing women in this world, and I know my interviews have only scratched the surface. These forty women represent the millions of women who are the family breadwinner, earn high incomes, and/or are high net worth. The fact that so many people think women like that just don’t exist is a shame.
Here’s To More Years!
If you haven’t checked out all the interviews, grab a cup of coffee and pop on over to this page. The best way to support this series is to share it with a friend – so be sure to share it on your social media, or email it to a friend.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself “maybe one day my story can be featured” – how about today? Pop on over to my “Be Featured” page and share. You’ll be helping to build a foundation to help other women find success in their lives, by sharing your story and advice with others.
I love this series. So inspiring. Thank you for creating this!
Hey CMO Liz! Thank you for your content and work and helping to get women’s stories out there. I was honored to take part in it!