admin According to data from the World Economic Forum, women hold only 24% of senior management roles globally. Additionally, research from McKinsey & Company has found that women are underrepresented in all stages of the corporate pipeline, from entry-level positions to the C-suite.
Research also indicates that female entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts when it comes to accessing funding, networks, and mentorship. This lack of representation and support can make it more difficult for women to succeed in business and can perpetuate a cycle of underrepresentation in leadership positions.
Success for me is when I can keep #FamilyFirst and have financial freedom while helping support the women of the world reach their goals! – Dr. Shellie Hipsky
There are some efforts to address this issue, such as gender quotas, mentorship programs, and initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, but more work needs to be done to ensure that women have the same opportunities to succeed in business as men. One woman who is consistently fighting the gender stereotypes, offering mentorship and coaching programmes, and working relentlessly for the empowerment of women in business is Dr. Shellie Hipsky.
From donning the hat of a tenured professor at the Robert Morris University to becoming a beacon of inspiration for women around the world, Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s journey is one that never fails to amaze. As the CEO of Inspiring Lives International, a motivational media company that works to empower and inspire women, Dr. Shellie has left no stone unturned to push the resources women need to flourish. By self-definition, Dr. Shellie classifies her business as simply women empowerment and entrepreneurship. Her focus has never once wavered from this core objective – bettering the lives of women and teaching them to better instrumentalise opportunities.
Meeting the Global Empowerment Coach
Dr. Shellie clearly saw her path back when she was mentoring Ph.D. students in the Instructional Management and Leadership course. During this period, she saw them leverage technological tools to increase their impact radius. This is when she identified the need for a similar network, where women from varied backgrounds could get the resources and help they needed to propel forward. “I began to clearly see the need for women from a variety of backgrounds to have education, resources, media resources, and education to connect the dots for themselves”, asserts Dr. Shellie.
Her inspirational journey and result-oriented approach has received several accolades over the years. In 2022, she was honoured as an “Empowered Woman”, “Elite Business Leaders to Watch”, “Most Influential Female Entrepreneurship Coach”, “A Top Entrepreneur in the US”, “Women Leaders to Look Up To”, “Top 10 Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs”, “Top 20 Business Coaches to Watch For”, “The 10 Most Influential Women Business Leaders”, “Global Woman Influencer”, and the world’s “Top Global Empowerment Coach” in Vegas by the International Association of Top Professionals.
A Woman of Many Talents
Penning her success strategies and guidance, Dr. Shellie is an award-winning author of works like the Common Threads trilogy on Inspiration, Empowerment, and Balance - a book based on her Empowering Women Radio. Her 13th book Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants: Entrepreneurial Secrets to Create Your Dream Business and Brand and latest 14th book, Mom Magic Mompreneur have both featured on international bestseller lists in different countries. Apart from writing books, Dr. Shellie regularly contributes to Forbes magazine and is a part of their Expert Coach panel. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Inspiring Lives Magazine, a magazine dedicated to spread the empowerment word and inspire women globally.
Dr. Shellie’s pursuit of women empowerment doesn’t end with Inspiring Lives International. She also hosts Empowering Women Radio and the Inspiring Lives with Dr. Shellie show on NBC. Her podcasts and vocal recordings of And All That Jazz from the musical Chicago can be heard on Spotify and iTunes. As a prolific speaker and advocate for women’s empowerment and progress, Dr. Shellie has delivered keynote addresses internationally – right from Passion to Profits in Hollywood to illustrious education institutions like Havard, Columbia, and the Oxford University. Her titled signature keynote -titled Speak Up -can be viewed on Amazon Prime.Adding to this list, she recently finished filming for the docu-series - The Making of an Entrepreneur.
Working to Create a Better World
Dr. Shellie started the Global Sisterhood 501 (c)(3), a non-profit organisation aimed at bettering the life of women and children globally. Partnering with various charities, the NGO offers life-altering help to women across the world, right from Pittsburgh to Pakistan. The organisation is focused on ameliorating a myriad of issues including domestic violence, homelessness, lack of clean drinking water, etc. Talking about the impact of the organisation, she propounds, “Kemi, from KVDPA leads our Entrepreneurial College in Tanzania and this school has been supported by the Global Sisterhood and myself for over a decade as we encourage and educate business women of the future in a rural part of Africa.”
As a “mompreneur” – I am highly dedicated to my business and yet, if my family needs me – I will drop what I am doing to help them – Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Her spirit of community service is truly relentless and has fetched her several acknowledgements, including the most recent one. Dr. Shellie will be honoured by President Biden with the “Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in Service” in 2023. This award is a recognition for her 4,000+ community service volunteer hours to support the needs of women domestically and internationally.
“I make a difference in the world on a very large scale by supporting my Charity Partnerships through the Global Sisterhood and training up women leaders through my signature EmpowerU Master Class (which provides an International Scholarship for each cohort.)” asserts Dr. Shellie.
Forming Relationships to Create Lasting Bonds
Building a business is all about authentic connections for Dr. Shellie. She believes that true, transparent, and trustworthy connections are at the heart of any business venture. “I form relationships and support the needs of women who then recommend their other women leader friends to work with me towards their goals and dreams for themselves and their businesses”, remarks Dr. Shellie. She simply shows her coaching clients how they can materialise their best lives and achieve their business goals. Given her impact on these women, the venture has grown exponentially, largely due to the positive word-of-mouth.
Striking the Perfect Equilibrium
Managing life, work, and everything in-between is not an easy task, especially for a busy and hands-on entrepreneur like Dr. Shellie. However, she has unlocked the secret to this by unearthing the perfect balance. While finding this balance can be difficult, as she tells her EmpowerU Master Classes, it is definitely priceless once achieved. For her, balance is hidden in the art of delegating, holding onto her personal boundaries, and focusing on her priorities. Family is the grounding element in her element. As a ‘mompreneur’ she is dedicated to the success of her business, but at the same time, she is ready to drop everything if her family needs her.
Building a Strong Team
While Dr. Shellie’s inspirational leadership style can work its magic on all, she still believes that surrounding oneself with talented self-starters, with a penchant for innovation is always reliable. Thus, each member on the Inspiring Lives team is selected to bridge the existing gaps of learning and skills and is well-aware of their impact on the world. She also believes in giving her team space to work in an open environment. As she puts it, “as long as they are achieving the target goals, they can do the work in the way that best suits them and their families which is a huge benefit particularly for “mompreneurs” on my team.” Dr. Shellie believes that a motivated team is a well-functioning team and thus, never fails to celebrate their wins with praise and gratitude.
Adapting to Change
As all great leaders, Dr. Shellie too never ceases an opportunity to grow and expand her horizons. Speaking about her recent learning experiences, she draws on the pandemic and how it taught her the value of being flexible. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she learnt the need to pivot, because shifts happen and it’s important to adapt to these changes to continue growing. Inculcating this virtue to her existing repertoire has helped her tweak her approach in a favourable way.
Measuring Success in Smiles
The measure of success is similar for no two leaders. The same is true for Dr. Shellie. When asked about her definition of success, she states, “Success for me is when I can keep #FamilyFirst and have financial freedom while helping support the women of the world reach their goals!” Fulfilling her role as ‘mompreneur’, she values the smiles on the faces of her children and parents over all the illustrious awards and accolades she has received over the years. “Seeing them smile when I include quality time for them in-between travelling the world and making the business thrive is my biggest achievement!”, propounds Dr. Shellie.
Becoming an Effective Leader
For Dr. Shellie, an effective leader is one who can inspire others and create future leaders. It is someone who possesses the gift of igniting the fire of change in others. These leaders acknowledge their strengths, but don’t shy away from recognising their weaknesses. They create a conducive work environment, supporting team members through the thick and thin days.
Espousing all these qualities herself, Dr. Shellie sums her leadership philosophy in just three impactful words – ‘Lead with Love’. As a strong believer in the empathetic leadership style, she advocates for a more understanding leadership approach that won’t just bring out the best in the team members but will also help connect with customers.
Pearls of Wisdom
Advising future women leaders, Dr. Shellie stresses on the importance of finding mentorship and learning. She adds, “Never sacrifice that which is a personal priority. Stay heart-centred.” While focus and self-care are important virtues, she reminds aspiring women entrepreneurs of the importance of what’s constant in life – their families. Lastly, she adds, “Speaking of the climb, always remember to reach behind you and lift up others as you get to the top!”
Step Forward
Currently, Dr. Shellie is focusing on her signature EmpowerU Master Class and VIP coaching experiences. With these mentorship sessions, she is focused on enrolling and guiding women who are overwhelmed with the task of striking a favourable balance. The classes cater to budding entrepreneurs and business owners who are striving to take their businesses to the next level, but don’t want to compromise on their lives.
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