Randi Zuckerberg's Blog, page 24

Tech Access: The Diabetes Pump Pax

Imagine for a moment that your life depended on daily injections of insulin just to eat, and 10-20 finger pokes for blood testing a day. Emma Goldberg is a 12-year-old girl who has been living her life like this since she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes six years ago.

One of the challenges Emma and kids living with T1D have is carrying around the expensive and necessary tech medical equipment they depend on to manage their condition and deliver insulin. Some kids use insulin pump management systems that have remote controls and meters to deliver insulin, some take shots and need their needles and insulin pens. Others are wearing external Glucose Monitoring devices to get their blood sugar levels sent to their cell phones instead of finger pokes.

Luckily there are many exciting advances in technology happening and all of this is helping T1D kids to manage their diabetes much better. And Emma is leading the charge.

Soon after Emma first received her insulin Pump, she grew tired of the plain, small black carrying pouch that came with the product. Easy to leave behind in a dark restaurant or movie theater, cheap in construction and unable to hold up to the wear-and-tear of typical life, it was inconvenient and—most importantly—unfashionable for a soon-to-be-teenage girl to carry around at all time. She had to carry something for her meters and supplies, but most bags did not properly fit her devices, looked too childish, or were not made for this purpose and inconvenient for her needs. That’s when Emma took matters into her own hands and decided to design her own.

Emma joined forces with tech device accessories designer, Caryn Sterling of Rolf Bleu.  Emma and Caryn worked diligently on designing a functional, purposeful, and fashionable solution to Emma’s specifications. What they came up with are three prototypes and styles. Two are for girls and one is for boys. Emma is currently raising money to place her first order of these bags so that she can start her company and get these bags out to other T1D kids and adults. She has started a Go Fund Me campaign and has a web site showcasing her new bags.

Emma is not just doing this for herself, she wants to create something to help others, to give back to a community of people who have to live life struggling in silence on a daily basis. This life threatening disease is unfamiliar to most people and she wants to bring light and education to it.  She wants to help others and sees this as a way to give back to others like her.

She is a compassionate girl. Emma’s goal is to help bring a little bit of joy to the daily lives of kids like her who live with T1D by making fun, functional and fashionable pump PAX!

November is Diabetes month, and Emma is on a mission to raise awareness of this very confusing and often misunderstood disease affecting millions of kids around the world today. Type 1 and Type 2 are very different diseases. Please learn more at the www.jdrf.org web site for more facts on T1D. And for more information on Emma or how to fund the Pump Pax, go to www.emmaspumppax.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Must-Have Apps for Moms

Mompreneurs Kate Nowlan and Kimberly Caccavo of the for-women, by-women athletic apparel brand, GRACEDBYGRIT, gave Dot Complicated their Top 5 must-have mom apps

1)Teamsnap — (iOS & Android; Free) Track where and when the kids’ sporting events are.

2) Aeries — (iOS only; Free) Check the kids’ grades to make they’re where they should be.

3) Kindle— (iOS & Android; Free) When you can actually get a break to read.

4) Uber — (iOS only; Free) Because who wants to drive all the time?

5) Instagram — (iOS & Android; Free)  Track your kids and your kids friends’ lives to see what’s going on there. It’s not spying if you like the pictures too!

Radio Recap: Mompreneurs

Balancing the stresses of running your own company while raising a family is no easy feat. Kimberly Caccavo and Kate Nowlan are co-founders of GRACEDBYGRIT, an athletic apparel line designed, built, and run by women for women. Aimed for use on both land and at sea, all of the GRACEDBYGRIT apparel is UPF 50 and comes with a high-pitch whistle to keep wearers safe. So how do two busy women become successful mompreneurs? Kimberly and Kate sat down on today’s ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ to discuss just how they do it.

“Instead of a swear jar we have a push-up challenge in the office. 10 push ups each time.”

“When we were launching our company we knew we wanted women to look better and feel better in our clothing.”

“The two of us both have had really gritty moments in our past. But we realized it was also our grace. So we’re Graced by Grit.”

“Everything is built for safety. Every piece comes with a discreet whistle.”

“My first triathlon was in honor of a 16 year old who was murdered trail running. That’s how we came up with the idea of the whistle.”

“Something that made me look skinny was something that inspired me.”

“We just finished our first year of sales and it exceeded our expectations.”

“I’m 54 and need something that smooths out my lumps and bumps and makes me look great.”

“We realized we had an amazing product and just did it.”

“The first thing we did was create product and send it out to athletes to make sure it worked. It did.”

“We hired brand managers to make sure our visual language was correct. We did that with our seed money.”

“Once we realized it was going to work, we raised a Series A from friends and family.”

“We wrapped our Jeep in the Graced by Grit logo so people know we’re coming.”

“We utilize our children. We make clothes for tweens and our daughters are the models. My 14 year old son is a surf photographer and does all our surf photos.”

“Reading stories at night is a very important part of my growing with my kids.”

“We knew we wanted to sell online because our fabric is so expensive we knew we’d have to take it direct to consumer.”

“We made a robust website to access from any kind of device. And try to make it easy to shop online.”

“When women go to a trunk show, they become instant fans. We’re raising our Series B right now is for people who don’t know our site very well.”

“The first step was finding our plug ‘n’ play. Did we want it to be a mom and mom shop or do we want to take on the biggest athletic apparel companies out there?”

“A lot of the biggest challenges are human error. We’re both detail oriented.”

“I tried reading and walking in New York City recently. It’s not as easy as in a sleepy little beach town for sure.”

“The Graced by Grit woman is 22 to 55 years old. She’s tough, fearless, confident, funny.”

“Our clothes are functional. You can run, swim, or go to work.”

“I don’t know if we ever in stay in one place for more than 5 minutes.”

“We have a fabulous team of women working with us every day.”

“I was making a living running. I was seeing what the women were wearing.”

“We didn’t find sleek, safe, and jeweled tones out in the marketplace.”

“We make women look like women from XXS to XXL.”

“We get up everyday at 5 in the morning and get on a call so we can be moms in the afternoon.”

“If we both say we’re going to do something, we do it.”

“As women, you got to get along to make it work.”

“We have kids around the same age and they get along. They get schlepped to places with us. They’re a part of our story and brand.”

“Women relate to us as moms and as influencers.”

“This is a passion for us. It doesn’t go away at the end of the day.”

“We have people in our lives who support us.”

“We were fortunate enough to have some contacts within the design industry before we started.”

“Kimberly literally jumped in the ocean to see how the clothes help up and they didn’t sag and dried quickly.”

“We have a store in Solana Beach, California and are now moving online.”

“No matter where you go, gluten free is a thing all over the country.”

“We’re targeting smart, educated women; moms. In order to build a website that reflects that, it requires time and money.”

“The more we engage with customers the more revenue we see.”

“Life isn’t always easy. A sense of humor is crucial.”

“I want women to feel confident when they put on our clothing.”

“Every trunk show has lead to another one. Our followers become our brand ambassadors.”

“We donate a percentage of the proceeds to charity for our trunk shows.”

“I have two daughters I am certainly setting an example for.”

“We make all of our clothes in the USA.”

“The product is superior and the Graced by Grit stories are bigger than just making clothes.”

To hear the latest in tech, entrepreneurship, and start-ups join ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ every Wednesday at 9am PT/12pm ET only on SiriusXM Business Channel 111.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suze Orman’s 5 Favorite Apps

Here’s the Top 5 Favorite Apps of financial advisor Suze Orman:

Navionics (Free; iOS & Android) — This is a boating app. I’m a fanatic boater. Usually small boats but sometimes we’ll go across from Miami to the Bahamas. Navionics keeps track of everything you need to know. If you take longer voyages in little boats, this is the best app for you.

CNBC (Free; iOS & Android)—This app offers real time stock market quotes. And seeing how CNBC was my home for years, I still like the headlines, I like how they deliver the news, and I like how they start out. They’re a great way to start learning about finance.

Flixster (Free; iOS & Android)—This is the best app for movies. I want to know what movie theaters are around me and whether people liked movies or not.

Cuda Sign (Free; iOS & Android)—This e-Signature app isn’t just another docu-sign company. You don’t need a printer or fax machine. It can all be done on your smartphone. I don’t even use a mac. I use my iPhone. I write all my articles from it. I even watch my tv from it. And now I sign all my documents from it as well.

Kickstarter (Free; iOS & Android) – You need to find money to back an idea. Rather than mortgaging your life away, allow people to invest in your company. You’re helping people with great ideas. It’s the best way to have skin the game.

 

Learn more about Suze at SuzeOrman.com

 

Radio Recap: Suze Orman

One-woman financial advice powerhouse and two-time Emmy Award-winning television host, Suze Orman, is not just one of the nation’s best known financial advisors, she’s also a New York Times bestselling author and one of the top motivational speakers in the world today.

The Suze Orman Show aired on CNBC from 2002 until March of this year and won her a Gracie Award for Outstanding Program Host in 2006. And  Suze is currently in development of a new series with Warner Brothers.

Today she sat down on ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ to discuss finances, fishing, and FICO scores. Here’s the quotes:

“Tech people are passionate about making money but not passionate about what to do with it.”

“When I first heard about REI closing, I thought they’re not only protecting their employees, but they’re protecting people who buy things they don’t need.”

“People first, then money, then things.”

“What needs to go away is traditional banking. They’re geared toward making money off of people.”

“Nobody cares about your money than you do.”

“I was a broker right when discount brokerage firms started. Everyone said no way. And look what happened. The same is going to happen with Fin-Tech.”

“’Money Wars’ premieres in September 2016. It goes into a place about money no one has ventured before.”

“The greatest thing I ever accomplished was being a waitress and becoming who I am today. There’s hope.”

“My story is one of going from poverty to prosperity. It can be done.”

“I had $50k to put in a money market account. My broker was a crook and all the money was lost.”

“Stop putting yourself down and start investing just a little bit of money.”

“Go to SuzeU.com and start learning there. It’s free.”

“Men tend not to do the household finances.

“Women, once they get a grasp of something and don’t take as many risks as men. Which is something I’m an advocate of.”

“My job is to protect you from all the other people trying a living off of you.”

“It’s never about the money.”

“Do not risk your own money. Do not take out an inheritance to put into a business.”

“If someone else isn’t interested in investing in your business then maybe it’s not as good idea as you think it is.”

“A great idea will emerge from your mind, not from your money.”

“Power attracts money, powerlessness repels it. Money flows through people. “

“When you are powerful you attract people.”

“Women made up over 51% of the working population in 2008 . Layoffs were needed yet women will work for free and give up their vacations. I had men calling in making over $250k and couldn’t get another job. Women would work wherever they could.”

“Corporations know we put ourselves on sale. Never ask a yes or no question. Walk in knowing your worth. I want a 10 or 15% raise. Which will you give me.”

“If they’re not willing to value who you are, you need to learn that sooner than later.”

“Don’t compare yourself.”

“Women need to demand as much as men.”

“If it’s a company that I really believe in I would get the minimum salary I needed to get by and take as much equity as they would be willing to give me.”

“Equity can be taxable to you. You could be paying income tax on shares that could be worthless one day.”

“When I was a waitress, two men used to come in all the time by the names of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak working from their garage. I kept wondering what they were working on. I’m an Apple girl through and through.”

“Kids do not do what you say, they do what you do. Are you excited about your finances? All the cues come from you.”

“Minors cannot inherit money.”

“Everyone used to have the American dream to buy my own home. Then 2008 and happened and people wanted to sell. You have to know to live your own American dream.”

“You need a 20% down payment, and then afford the insurance, mortgage, and an 8 month emergency fund. You need a buffer.”

“You want to live in the area you are. You need to know you are going to live in the home from 5 to 7 years.”

“Before you think about buying a home, get out of credit card debt.”

“We are closer to deflation than we are inflation.”

“If you have a Roth 401K, contribute up to the point of match.”

“When shopping for a mortgage do it within a two-week amount of time so you don’t get dinged by FICO.”

“Play house before you afford a $300k mortgage. Save 40% more than your mortgage payment.”

“SuzeU is free. We had almost 100,000 people sign up the first day.”

“SuzeU is the 7 most important parts of your life: Buy a car, home, how to invest.”

“FICO first then sex. You should know the FICO score of someone before you get involved.”

“The best way to get your score in MyFico.com Be careful of the other sites out there.”

“You should only be a freelancer if you have control over what you do with your time.”

“From little ideas great businesses grow.”

“Set up your own ROTH IRA putting away to $4-to 500 dollars a month.”

“Starting in 2017 corporations are going to have cut back due to a Cadillac Tax. The PPOs are going to go away. You may be better off being covered on your own.”

“We created a show called ‘Money Wars’ about making financial peace with yourself.”

“You can never fix a financial problem with money. They come from a lack of self worth.”

“Self worth equals net worth.”

“Taking care of their parents is the biggest challenge faces Millennials. Your parents probably blew it in 2008. Social security, Medicare is a financial wreck. Jobs will be eliminated.”

“Finances are a family affair.”

Join ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ every Wednesday at 12pm ET / 9am PT for all the latest in tech trends! Only on SiriusXM Business 111.

A Mission to Recycle Your Electronics!

Hi there! Kabira Stokes here – you may remember me from an interview I did with Randi last month. I am the Founder and CEO of Isidore Electronics Recycling. We are an L.A.-based small business, and a social enterprise. We recycle electronics safely, are fully certified to do so,  and employ people who have spent time in the criminal justice system.

 

Since 2011, we have been providing employment opportunities for the people who have been discarded from our society with the things that we have discarded from our society. We believe in the power of second chances, both for the people re-entering our society from prison, and for old electronics. Isidore is a new type of company – a mission-driven social enterprise, a woman-owned, award winning, certified, responsible recycler. We believe we are doing business the way that it should be done. Plus, we are named after a Saint, so that’s neat.

 

We recently launched an Indiegogo Campaign to raise enough money to buy a truck and equip it with a portable hard drive shredder and generator.  This will allow us to offer mobile data destruction to our clients and help us to grow – recycling more, and hiring more too. We have a number of very neat perks like vintage electronics, art prints and limited edition tees, and we would love your support.

 

With two weeks left in the campaign, we are over halfway to our goal. Please take a look here and if it moves you or inspires you, please contribute.

http://igg.me/p/442670/twtr/3845070

Thank you!

Kabira Stokes and the Isidore Team

For more on the genesis of Isidore and how we got started, you can check out my TEDx talk here.

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Change the Aging Experience With Tech

Technology has changed our world.  We access information instantaneously with a few key strokes, see our world through high power telescopes and satellites, and approach medicine with depth and efficiency enabling people to live longer and healthier. Technology has also made many of the challenges of aging easier to manage.  New devices, programs, apps, and products are enabling older adults to stay at home safely and for families to monitor any changes or concerns for aging loved ones, including memory loss, confusion, and safety. Thanks to advancements in technology, there are now many ways alleviate or minimize risks related to these universal worries. Below are some important examples:

Medication errors: There are several apps that allow families to remotely monitor whether someone has taken their medication. MedOClock monitors administration times and calls a person with a gentle reminder if the medication is missed.  If you prefer to have your loved one prompted to take his medication with a phone call, there are products such as Pill Reminder Service.  If you would rather record your own voice Reminder Rosie could be right for you.  Many of these products keep track of medication, appointments and health care provider contact information as well should you need to share it with a healthcare professional.


Wandering: Nothing is scarier than thinking about your loved one leaving the home and getting lost.  Smart Sole is a shoe insert that has a GPS. There are also wearable GPS products such as a watch made by ILoc.  These products permit families to know their loved one’s whereabouts at all times and set up perimeter alerts.


Kitchen safety: Are you finding burned pots on the stove and concerned about your loved one inadvertently starting a fire?  You can find kettles that turn off automatically in most electronic and utility stores.  There are even specialized stovetops that use a sensor system and turn off when someone leaves the cooking area.  Visit This Caring Home for more information.


Falls:  With the push of a button, products such as LifeLine, MyLively or Medical Alert enables individuals to inform someone if they need help.


Overall functioning: Other unique products allow families to keep track of someone’s general functioning in the home with the use of sensors and/or alert systems.  There are products that monitor getting in/out of bed with sensor pads such as from Patterson Medical.  Sensors, such as MyLively monitor the opening/closing of the refrigerator to gauge if someone is eating. Products such as Be Close allow families to monitor a person’s daily routine in their home.  There is even clothing that can monitor body temperature and heartrate, though much of this clothing is designed for athletes.



Risk/Vulnerability with strangers/neighbors:  Individuals with Dementia are at risk of being taken advantage by neighbors or strangers.  They can be convinced that they need a new roof or that their gutters need cleaning.  Most of the time, they are charged exorbitant costs and often the work is never done.  Consider installing cameras outside near each door so that families can have video of any visitors to the home.


Health concerns and communication with professionals: Technology has enabled family caregivers to keep track of medication, medical diagnoses, provider contact information and other necessary health information so that in a moment’s notice, caregivers who live locally or remotely can communicate effectively and accurately with health care professionals.  Check out FootprintID and Zibdy.  Products such as Go Telecare allow for video conferencing consultation so that individuals have access to experts in any location.  With Tyze families can create a private network with which to communicate, share photos, and schedule appointments on behalf of a loved one.


Cognitive loss: There are many Apps that create opportunities for families to engage in activities that stimulate memories and other cognitive functioning such as DYNSEO and Greymatters.  Families and caregivers can build their own family memory book with products such as My Reflections.  These products help to foster meaningful connections within families as well as help a loved one with cognitive losses revisit his past.


General caregiver support: Families have unlimited access to on-line support communities for any topic imaginable.  Visit AgingCare and The Caregiver Network.  The Dementia Caregiver App provides guidance for caregivers to assist them in the intervention and management of challenging symptoms related to reduced cognitive functioning.




Technology has been integral in preserving autonomy and integrity for those who require a little extra assistance and support.  These technological advancements have allowed us to benefit from real-time updates as to how our aging relatives are functioning.  However, never forget that the benefits of human contact and personal relationships far exceed any advantage that a device, app, or product could provide.

 

      By Stephanie Erickson, Family Caregiving Expert                             http://www.ericksonresource.com/

 

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Mayim Bialik’s Top 5 Favorite Apps

Neuroscientist, author mother of two, four-time Emmy nominated actress, and owner of Grok Nation, Mayim Bialik, shared her top 5 favorite apps with Randi just this past week:

habitRPG— (Free; iOS & Android) This app is a motivational task manager I do with a group of friends. Rank your tasks in terms of difficulty: low, moderate or high. When you cross things off your lists you get points where you can buy things to give to your little avatar you design. I use it on my computer and my phone. It motivates me in a way that nothing else can. It feels so good to cross things off that need to get done.

2. Commonsense.org— (Free; iOS & Android) This sort of socially-conservative app that lets me read reviews of kids movies to see how much cursing, violence, etc. they have in them. My kids don’t watch TV but we started going to the movies. Common Sense tells you in specific detail what to expect. They specifically address issues if you may have a child who is sensitive to something, and the app is right every time. They have great filters.

3. World’s Brightest Flashlight—(Free, iOS & Android) This is one of the first apps I put on my phone. It’s a reminder of how humble I was with my first smartphone. Plus it makes a light saber sound when turned on!

4. Face Bomb (Free, Android; $.99 on iOS) and Faceplant (Free, iOS & Android): These make me laugh every time I use them and since I have very little leisure time throughout my day laughter is important. You can take one person’s face in a group photo to put it on everyone’s face. Or switch faces. I switched my ex-husband’s and my face in a family photo. My kids love it. It’s hours of endless of joy.

5. Insight Timer—(Free, iOS & Android) This meditation app sets a timer to any selected pre-recorded meditation you do. There’s a library of guided meditations all listed by their running times. It also tells you who else is meditating at the same moment you are since it’s energizing to meditate with others at the same time.

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Radio Recap: Mayim Bialik

You may remember Mayim Bialik as TV’s Blossom, the fashion icon of the ‘80s. Or maybe you remember her playing a young Bette Midler in the tear-jerker, Beaches. Currently she’s best known for playing Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on the hit show The Big Bang Theory. Regardless of how you know her, Mayim Bialik is a one busy woman. She’s a neuroscientist, author, four-time Emmy nominated actress, and a mother of two boys, and just this past August Mayim launched Grok Nation her own lifestyle website targeted towards women, parenting, religion, and pop culture. Today on ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg,’ Randi got to turn the tables and grok Mayim’s life:

“Neuroscientists don’t like tossing around diagnoses so loosely.”

“The reason no one wants a middle seat on the plane is because no one wants two people touching them instead of one person.”

“I happen to be a vegan so I’d like to think a bowl of broccoli would be as satisfying as a bowl of mac and cheese.”

“We like things that are carb heavy because they release chemicals and become a comfort food.”

“In a culture where we’re so used to information coming in, we think we have to take care of things immediately.”

“I launched Grok Nation to tackle social issues in a broader way.”

“I wrote a post about why Ariana Grande was in her underwear on a billboard. How do we fit this into our larger understanding?”

“Grok Nation is about harnessing social media not just to make money but to translate information and write about the charities people don’t know about.”

“We want to funnel funds to the smaller organizations that don’t have big money or celebrity faces behind it.”

“It’s hard to get an attractive celebrity smiling next to an animal abuse or sex trafficking organization.”

“I felt very uncomfortable writing the Bill Cosby post. What I did was looked at in a way that was not gossipy. I tried to point out what we are still hearing and what can we tell our children.”

“I have 1.2 million on Instagram but a lot of people on Facebook won’t go there.”

“We all have a responsibility to be good human beings. To do small and big things to make the world better and smaller.”

“Why not use my celebrity and my voice to point out things that matter to me?”

“If you ask me about the science of breastfeeding I get a little more dogmatic.”

“I was raised to speak my mind.”

“One of my closest friends encouraged me to launch Grok Nation. He’s my Jiminy Cricket.”

“There’s no rules about how to be. Especially for women.”

“When it comes to Israel I fall in the moderate range. I believe in peace over all. I try to grok the politics of that region.”

“When you’re dealing with people who believe Israel shouldn’t exist, I don’t even know how to have that conversation, so I block them.”

“I’m happy to have people disagree with me but some conversations I shouldn’t even be having.”

“If you’re a woman and get things done, people want to know how much you outsource your work to do it.”

“I was home with my kids the first two years of their life—just me. No nanny.”

“My main important job in life is to be a parent. I made the conscious choice to have two children.”

“It is up to me and their father to raise two feminist boys.”

“In terms of roles, I’ve never do theater because the schedule is not compatible. Sitcom work is fantastic, we work very easy hours.”

“I weigh it out: How much do I want to be away, how much do I need to be away.”

“I don’t work weekends and we work school hours throughout the week.”

“I’m nervous to use the identifier of ‘modern orthodox’ because of the schedule. I don’t always have that flexibility. I call myself observant-ish.”

“I don’t want to present this shiny version of myself. I write about balancing a secular life and balancing a life as a personality.”

“I get to set boundaries of who gets to see what of my body. I get to decide what I want to wear.”

“To me it’s empowering to embrace the notion of modesty.”

“My kids have only have seen me in a Superbowl commercial.”

“I was on Blossom from ages 14-19 and after it ended I took myself to UCLA to earn my neuroscience degree.”

“There is no support group for people in Hollywood with PhDs.”

“You don’t need to be a scientist to play one on TV.”

“We’re in a very fuzzy and gray area to deal with genetic information. What if you really want a tall baby or a boy. A lot of us who like science fiction know where this could lead genetically. It impacts the economy because it effects the insurance industry.”

“Chuck Lorre’s idea was to take the fandom and interest in the STEM field because of the show and had us all contribute to a scholarship for financial aid who are going to be funded. We have 20 Big Bang Theory scholars.”

“Putting a female face on STEM is really helpful. The earlier we can get girls interested the better.”

“When I was a kid I thought being in STEM was being in a lab by yourself. “

“I have enough psychological help being surrounded by people who believe in more than I believe in myself.”

“My manager and publicist are both very strong women.”

“I was raised with this notion that you have to be mean to get things done. But you can be successful by doing meaningful things and being honest instead.”

“I read this saying, ‘Be careful of turning your hobby into a business.’”

“I’m personally not motivated by money, I leave that to business people.”

“I get asked to speak for a lot more things than I do but if you speak about everything you really speak for nothing.”

“It’s On Us is a White House Campaign. If you see something, it’s on us to alert people to the problem.”

“I see what speaks to me and choose the organizations I work with.”

“I do sing, I can sing. But in the traditional practice of Jewish mourning we do not sing or listen to music for one year.”

“I could work on Grok Nation all day. It’s my main project.”

Join ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ every Wednesday at 12pm ET / 9am PT on SiriusXM Business Channel 111 to hear the latest in tech, STEM, entrepreneurship, and empowering women from around the world!” 

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Gender Wage Pay Gap – By Suze Orman

Oscar-winning actress, Jennifer Lawrence, recently penned an essay for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter e-newsletter about the gender-wage pay gap. In her essay, Jennifer revealed how she discovered through the Sony hack that her male co-stars in American Hustle were making significantly more money than her. She discusses her anger at herself for failing as a negotiator and “giving up early.”

Fellow celebrities have praised Jennifer’s essay like her Silver Linings Playbook co-star Bradley Cooper and fellow actress Emma Watson—who has in the past spoken out about gender equality—showed her support through an encouraging tweet. But others are claiming that wealthy actors shouldn’t be the spokespeople for wage issues since theirs is one a struggling family cannot relate to.

Jennifer’s position isn’t about how much money she’s making. It’s about how women are perceived in the workplace. It’s a fight that needs addressing in all industries until the battle is won. In solidarity with Jennifer’s essay, here’s a reposting of one of Dot Complicated’s favorite financial advisor and motivational speakers, Suze Orman, discussing how women should stand up for their worth in the workplace and not worry that asking for a raise is “bad karma.”

—–

I am a big believer in karma. But to suggest that good karma should be the lynchpin of managing your career is not just wrong, but dangerous.

Yet that’s what Satya Nadella, the chief executive officer of Microsoft offered up as advice to working women at a [2014] recent women’s conference: “It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along,” said Nadella. “That’s good karma. It will come back. That’s the kind of person that I want to trust, that I want to give more responsibility to.”

I couldn’t disagree more. Yet in a perverse way I am glad Mr. Nadella brought this issue into the spotlight. That the chief executive of the 34th largest company in the Fortune 500- with profits of nearly $22 billion on revenue of more than $78 billion-said this should be a wake up call to every woman. This was not some outlier start-up entrepreneur looking to provoke.

Yes, Mr. Nadella backtracked as quickly as the backlash began, but it would be wise for every woman to take Mr. Nadella at his original word. The fact is, whether an explicit strategy or implicit assumption, management preys on women’s propensity to not negotiate, to be consummate team players, to be passive.

One telling academic study reported that women equate a salary negotiation on par with the uncomfortable-and sometimes painful-experience of a trip to the dentist. In the same study men viewed salary negotiation as a game to be won. Okay, so it’s not typically in our DNA. That just means having to make a conscious effort to override what does not come naturally.

To suggest that good karma is all women need only fuels this this dangerous mindset. It plays into what I see so women hope to be true: that their good nature, get-along, consensus-building nature will be rewarded without asking. That’s naïve. We’re still dealing with a gender pay gap across diverse professions that often has women working at a discount of 20%-30% less than what their male colleagues earn.

So much for karma as a negotiating tool.

Mr. Nadella has since communicated to Microsoft employees that he got it wrong. His advice: “If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.” In a vacuum that advice is fine. Rather than wait for karma to get your manager to acknowledge your contributions and value, be proactive. The problem in all too many offices is that being your own best advocate often gets women labeled as agitators or pushy. Or, yes, bossy.

And then there’s the art of asking; something women also tend to struggle with. “Can I have a raise?” or “I deserve a raise” or “I am overdue for a raise,” is not the way to go. Where’s the power in that? Ask for a meeting to discuss your compensation; get it on the schedule. This is not some “oh by the way” item you mention at the end of a meeting. In advance of the meeting prepare a one-page list of what you have accomplished. Be as specific as possible. Run through the deliverables you nailed and goals you met (and exceeded.) Then in the meeting you do no ask for a raise. You state your case: “I deserve a raise of at least X.” The phrase “at least” is crucial. You have just set expectations and your floor. You are negotiating from a position of confidence and power. That is going to pay off.

By Suze Orman From October 15, 2014

Suze Orman is an author, financial advisor, motivational speaker, and award-winning television host. Her program The Suze Orman Show won her a Gracie Award. Suze has written several books about personal finance including Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny. Read more at suzeorman.com. 

 

 

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