Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auto and property insurance shopping continued to diverge in Q2 2021 as factors such as low mortgage rates, pandemic-driven nesting and supply chain disruptions impacted these industries differently. TransUnions (NYSE: TRU) latest Personal Lines Insurance Shopping Report also found a resurgence in auto insurance shopping for higher risk consumers as well as the Millennial and Gen Z generations.

Throughout Q2 2021, property insurance shopping has consistently been higher than auto insurance shopping. The three-week moving averages for property insurance have generally been between 5% and 15% higher than the previous year. In comparison, the three-week moving average for auto insurance shopping has been mostly flat to 5% higher than one year ago. During the most recent week included in the report July 4, 2021 the three-week moving average for property insurance shopping rose 7.2% compared to the previous year. In this same timeframe, auto insurance shopping rose 2.9%.

Its a positive sign to see an increase in both property and auto insurance shopping. While property insurance shopping has been partly buoyed by a strong housing market and low interest rates, auto insurance shopping has clearly been slower to recover partly due to constrained inventories of new automobiles, said Mark McElroy, executive vice president and head of TransUnions insurance business. More automobile insurance shopping may soon be on the horizon as we are seeing an increase in such activity by younger as well as higher risk consumers.

Millennials, Gen Z and Higher Risk Consumers Increasingly Shopping for Auto Insurance

The Report highlighted how many nonstandard insurance customers those who have lower TransUnion TrueRisk auto insurance risk scores were forced to go uninsured or underinsured during 2020 due to economic hardship. With employment improving and tax rebates and stimulus payments now available, those customers may now be in the market for auto insurance once again.

In fact, consumers with a TrueRisk score between 300 and 500 saw their three-week shopping rate average increase by 9.2% during the week of July 4, 2021. Similar and even higher shopping rates occurred for most of the second half of Q2 2021. This is a dramatic change from Q1 2021 when the three-week average had declined on an annual basis between 10% and 25%.

The Report also found that Millennials (born 1980 to 1994) and Gen Z (born 1995 to 2003) have become more active shoppers over the course of 2021; the older Boomer (born 1946 to 1964) and Silent (born before 1946) generations, by contrast, have become less active. The Report indicated that this may be happening because the controlling factor in shopping behavior for Millennials and Gen Z over the pandemic was high youth unemployment, which is now dropping as the economy recovers.

Younger consumers who lost their jobs in 2020 may have subsequently left the auto insurance market altogether, but are now gradually returning as they take on new jobs and now have a need for coverage as their transportation requirements evolve. Delayed tax refunds and stimulus, as well as the beginning of advanced payments on the new Child Tax Credit, will give more people the opportunity to shop for new cars and new auto insurance. Overall, the seasonal ebb and flow of auto shopping that the industry has come to expect may not apply over the next few years, concluded McElroy.

For additional insights into personal lines insurance marketplace, the full report can be accessedhere.

About TransUnions Insurance Shopping Snapshot ReportThe quarterly Insurance Shopping Snapshot Report is based entirely on TransUnions internal studies. The auto insurance shopping trends reported are based on TransUnions report which is derived from TransUnions extensive database of credit data. It includes information on more than 500 million auto insurance shopping transactions from January 2016 to July 2021. The report focuses on the credit population, highlighting TransUnions data. It also explores a subset of the total insurance shopping population. The report excludes data from auto insurance customers in California, Hawaii and Massachusetts, where credit-based insurance scoring information is not used for auto insurance rating or underwriting.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences, and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

More:

Auto and Property Insurance Shopping Continue to Diverge; Both Younger and Riskier Consumers Increase Auto Shopping - GlobeNewswire

We discovered a whole world of world-changing leaders who are there for their customers and their employees in ways that are transforming lives, families and communities. Photo: iStockPhoto/gerenme

Next month, we will be celebrating the IBTs first official TOP 100 Social Capital CEOs for 2020-2021, and we could not be prouder or more excited. Thank you all for coming with us on this exciting journey.

As a run up to that incredible and exciting event, we are featuring not 10 but 20 Social Capital honorees this month, running the gamut of exemplary Social Capital behaviors for which they are being honored.

But, of course, they all have one thing in common: They understand that capitalism and business in general are done best when we realize and remember the value of people --and that the real bottom line is that people make profits happen.

We started this important journey almost a year ago, and we value and appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read and ride along with us. During that time we have looked at Social Capital from many different perspectives and angles. Here are the links to those articles again if you feel like revisiting them.

Along the way, we expected to meet incredible CEOs and business thought leaders who were leading the charge for a better world through business. But what we never could have expected is just how vast and powerful a network community of caring, high-level business leaders we would be tapping into.

We discovered a whole world of world-changing leaders who are there for their customers and their employees in ways that are transforming lives, families and communities. In fact, one could argue that corporations whose leaders understand how to do business right might be reaching a level of efficacy and compassion that rival major governments of the world. Some of our CEOs have even written about the ability for companies to surpass the potential good of government, at least when government is stuck, which it increasingly seems to be lately.

Well, regardless of whether you agree with that or not, we hope you all agree that when business is done right and with the full potential of Social Capital, life is better for everyone. And that, ultimately, that is what we are all here on this planet to do to make life better for everyone. So, thanks to this months honorees for doing exactly that.

And be sure to check out the Top 100 next month!

IBTs TOP 20 Social Capital CEOs for August 2021. Photo: IBT graphics

Sarah Paiji Yoo: Blueland

Yoos company came directly out of her desire to protect humanity first and foremost her son from the dangers of plastic. That inspired her desire to protect the rest of us.

After doing research on what water she should use to make her sons formula, she realized pretty much all water contains plastic about 90%, according to Sarah. So, she decided to change the world for her son and everyone else -- and set out to create cleaning solutions that were effective, non-toxic and free of single-use plastic.

I was horrified to learn that all the plastic I was throwing away was contaminating our water supply and generating hundreds of micro-plastics in the water and food I was feeding my baby, Yoo shares. I wanted to do my part to help, but it was impossible to find household products like window cleaner, lotion and toothpaste that didnt come packaged in plastic.

So how did she make a difference? By inventing and selling customers tablets they could pop into glass bottles with a bit of water, wait for them to dissolve, and then use the resulting hand soap or window cleaner just as they would any other but without the plastic bottle left over at the end. Bluelands tablets not only cut down on plastic pollution but the fuel and carbon emissions to facilitate all the shipping of those bottles.

What we love most is that Sarah and Blueland made the polluting of the planet with plastic personal and human rather than strictly environmental. Not to be kicking environmentalism, but the whole idea of Social Capital is about putting the people back into the solution and the purpose of business. Its a theme you will see in several of our honorees this month.

The oceans are being polluted by microplastics to the point where even seafood is becoming contaminated . . . About 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean each year, explains Sarah. About a third of the fish that we consume is thought to have microplastics in their system. We are consuming, as adults, a credit cards worth of plastic each week, so it is pretty scary,

Sarah is doing all she can to make the world safer for her son and everyone else, and she reminds us how everyone else can, too, if every company in the cleaning supply sector used plastics re-use their packaging, Our calculations would say that if everyone shifted to a re-usable system instead of consuming a new plastic cleaning bottle every time they need new cleaning products, we could save 100 billion plastic bottles from entering our landfills as well as oceans, she says.

Way to go for the power of people-centered business.

Bill Nash: CarMax

CarMax president and CEO Bill Nash has steered the company to significant profitability, but what we are honoring him for in our Social Capital section is the bottom-line importance he places on maintaining a people-first culture in an industry not, historically, known for that.

Says Nash, proudly, I always tell folks, when theyre looking for advice, they should think about their work environment. I say, Look, you work for a very long time. You have to love what you do and love the people you work for. I absolutely do that here, so much so that it is very easy to get up in the morning and go to work. I dont get up dreading going to work. I love coming to work, and Im excited about where were going.

Bill recalls CarMaxs origins with a small group of people selling used cars at a time when no one wanted to walk into a used car dealership, much less work for one. Becoming CEO was not on his radar; he simply wanted to run the best auction business he could.

It was his experience as an accountant at Circuit City that molded his view of corporate culture. I remember coming home and telling my wife, Wow, that culture is very different than any company Ive experienced through my accounting days, Bill says. The culture is what attracted me there. Its almost as if they put on a show -- everybody seemed to be happy.

Now as CEO of CarMax, he says, The thing I continue to worry about: How can I foster that environment? He recognizes that a big part of it is hiring the right people and instilling the values of continuous improvement. He notes that what were actually delivering is an experience, and the experience is all about treating people the way that people should treat one another.

Its about integrity and transparency and treating people the way they should be treated.

Well I guess if we can envision a world where even used-car dealerships are about integrity, then Social Capital can truly change the world.

Joth Ricci:Dutch Bros.

Dutch Bros. may seem like just another coffee purveyor cashing in the quick cup of fancy flavored Joe obsession, but it is much more. It is a community-centered, value-based business driven by a dedication to kindness, empowerment and helping others to succeed.

In fact, all that is what its leadership would rather it be known for over and above its coffee. So much so that its in Dutch Bros. slogan, Coffee is what we do, but it is not who we are.

The real-life Dutch Bros., Dane and Travis Boersma, founded the company in 1992. And they consistently put their money and their efforts to proving that t hey really wanted to do good in a whole lot of ways beyond making a darned-good cup of coffee that has cars lined up around the block. The programs they have put in place and that have been augmented and/or supported by the current CEO, Joth Ricci, prove that.

Dutch Bros. is a community-centered, value-based business driven by a dedication to kindness, empowerment and helping others to succeed. Photo: Istockphoto

Dutch Luv (this year on February 14th) gives $1 from every drink sold to help feed families in the community.

Drink One For Dane is a day when they celebrate the founder, Dane, who passed away from ALS, to support those who have ALS and their families. All 450 Dutch Bros locations will be donating a portion of their proceeds to support ALS research.

Buck for Kids day donates $1 of every drink sold to local youth-focused organizations in the community.

In general, through the Dutch Bros. Foundation and local franchisees, Dutch Bros. donates millions of dollars in philanthropy each year.

But all that being said, and not to bury the lead, we saved the best for last. Dutch Bros. is also extremely generous and caring to its own Dutch Community employees by exclusively allowing them the opportunity to run and own a Dutch Bros. location themselves. And that squarely hits the bulls-eye when it comes to the whole Social Capital idea of how business, capitalism and companies can help people improve their lot in life.

Eric Artz: REI

Though Eric Artz is steadfastly committed to sustainability, as his company is built on a reverence for the value of the out-of-doors, that value is inexorably connected to the power of nature to touch, transform and heal the human soul. That powerful understanding of the importance of helping humans to be better and happier by also protecting and conserving the environment that fuels us and supports us is why we honor him here in our Social Capital section.

And access to the out-of-doors is not just a nice to have but has repercussions on quality of life: Science and research continue to prove that time in nature can and does have a positive impact on those suffering. REI has supported some of that research at universities like Cal Berkeley, UCSF, the University of Washington and Harvard, and it all leads back to a simple, powerful conclusion: Outdoor recreation must be more accessible for veterans as part of their overall care, especially those beingtreated for mental health challenges like PTSD.

For REI, this issue is greater than the products and knowledge it offers through its retail operations. In fact, sustaining the health of the company is intrinsically intertwined with sustaining the health of our planet. Says Eric, Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing our co-op. I believe we do not have the luxury of calling climate change a political issue. This is a human issue. And we must act now.

The company is involved in encouragingpublicpolicy that supportsthe goal of sustaining and increasing recreational opportunitiesand ensures everyone can benefit from time spent outdoors.

In fact, it has hosted bipartisan fireside chats with lawmakers, in hopes that, as Eric explains in one of his blogs, these conversations can remind us that as a country, we can still find policies that bring people together.

Back to Erics commitment to people, more than 70% of REIs annual profits are invested back into the outdoor community through dividends to REI members, employee profit-sharing and retirement, and investments in nonprofits dedicated to the outdoors. As its website states, Being amember-owned co-operativeallows us to focus on shared values, not share value.

John Schlifske: Northwestern Mutual

As the nations largest life insurer, one might incorrectly assume Northwestern Mutual no longer needs to be so attentive to its customers, or that it might get lost in the profits and lose site of the people. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In 2020, the companysurpassed$1 billion in new lifeinsurancesales, but, says Schlifske,Our persistency rate -- the number of policy owners who stayed with us -- was 97%, the highest in the industry. Clearly Schlifske is even prouder of the latter.

Moreover, the reason for the companys record growth has a lot to do with its unique business model in the insurance world and its commitment to helping customers achieve financial security and empowering colleagues.

Thats because all of Northwestern Mutuals profits return to its policy owners. That makes customers feel much more like they are on the same team with the company rather than a customer or a client. That goes a long way to creating a trust-like atmosphere, something of paramount importance to the CEO.

Across industries, the notion of trust is often at the forefront -- even rising to the level of being a buzzword in some cases, he explains. But I think we are having an incomplete conversation and companies that implore customers to trust them have it backwards. They should be focused on being trustworthy -- which is significantly more important and reflects a much deeper commitment.

That may be the reason John often jokes that, short of a religious career, his work at Northwestern Mutual is as mission-driven as you can get working within commercial financial services.

Ken Fisher: Fisher Investments

If only you could find an investment company that does not charge any commissions for trades . . . Oh! We just did. It also doesnt hit you with hidden fees or extra service charges. Instead, it charges a competitive fee based on the size of your portfolio. That kind of simple transparency and honest trade made Fisher Investments a great pick to include in our list this month.

Despite the fact that Fisher doesnt collect the kind of colossal commission that many other brokers charge, it still delivers every client top-notch service. Fishers clients receive a personal point of contact -- their Investment Counselor who is committed to understanding them on a personal level and keeping their financial plan on track.

We like doing the new and never done, says Ken Fisher. Photo: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Before we recommend anything, we get to know you. We ask questions about your goals and needs, your expenses, your health, your family commitments and more -- to better understand what you need your money to accomplish, Ken explains. This enables us to recommend a personalized portfolio designed to meet your needs and to help you enjoy the retirement youve earned.

Thats all part of Kens philosophy of questioning the hell out of everything that is regarded as conventional wisdom because, he says, Most of our conventional wisdom is simply thatand often wrong hand-me-downs from the past.

And in an industry where conventional wisdom often promotes greed over the good of the customer, no wonder Fisher is a little bit different, in a great way.

He applies this philosophy to developing his workforce, as well. We almost exclusively hire and promote from within. We by-pass the MBA world trying to hire kids right out of college and then motivate them to never leave. We ban concepts like best practices (which are great if a lousy firm wants to become a B-firm) in favor of what we call never-done-yet-practices, by which we mean to define what will become future trend changers others will have to follow.

Its a formula for expanding knowledge. As Ken says, We like doing the new and never done.

Its also a formula for how to make a great Social Capital company.

Danny Meyer: Shake Shack

When Danny Meyer opened his first restaurant in the competitive New York market, he knew it needed more than great food the secret was the people power.

He was intent on finding and hiring servers who loved their customers, and suggested innovative concepts like telling staff to take notes on customers favorite table or menu items dish.

Ultimately, he even came up with six emotional skills that he includes in what he calls "HQ," or "hospitality quotient." Those include kindness and optimism, intellectual curiosity, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity. Identifying applicants with those skills is a key element in his restaurants hiring process.

What that resulted in was Meyer building an award-winning restaurant chain of more than 240 restaurants worldwide from the single restaurant hed opened when he was only 29 years old.

And he built that empire on the realization that, no matter how big your company is or wants to be, its all about improving the human interaction and relationship.

Or, as Meyer puts it: "In the end, what's most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes for human experiences and human relationships. Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It's that simple, and it's that hard."

We agree.

Lorna Borenstein: Grokker

Empowering people with the tools to take control of their well-being is Lorna Borensteins goal, and through her company, Grokker, she helps businesses provide that opportunity to their employees.

Citing her experience running public companies and divisions in large public companies like eBay, HP and Yahoo, Lorna says, I worked at these amazing companies that talked about work-life balance -- talked about, but didn't really create an environment where the employee felt supported and encouraged or that wellness and well-being actually mattered.

So, she founded Grokker with the aim to provide all employees from full-time to the oft-overlooked hourly and "gig" employees access to well-being resources that instill a sense of purpose, belonging and balance. Grokker is a subscription-based website and app that publishes short health and well-being videos featuring activities like yoga, meditation, nutrition and more.

Lorna Borenstein founded Grokker with the aim to provide all employees access to well-being resources that instill a sense of purpose, belonging and balance. Photo: iStockphoto

I think if you're really going to build a company and you say you want your employees to be well but then don't do anything to make them feel that you really care, you haven't really quite done it, Lorna says.

She believes they should and can create a 24/7 culture of health built on the double foundation of giving them permission to take care of themselves by providing them both the tools and the time and also providing the emotional support for them to do so.

That emotional support also has two legs: meeting everyone where they are with respect to their personal level of fitness and showing that they are recognized as individuals.

The thing that people are so surprised about with us is that we provide very personalized experiences for everyone, no matter your level of fitness or competency, proudly proclaims Lorna. I think there's this misconception that there's a one-size-fits-all plan to wellness. There really isn't. You have to be able to personalize, so they know that you know what they care about, Lorna explains.

No wonder she called her book, Its Personal: The Business Case for Caring, which was released the beginning of this year .

That kind of thinking is at the heart of Social Capital and a better world for all.

Ernie Herrman: TJX

TJ Maxx may be known by most for quality products at extremely affordable prices, and as great as that is for customers, what is truly extraordinary is that its parent company, TJX, doesnt cut corners in its supply chain to make that happen.

In fact, TJX is impressively committed to ethical sourcing to a degree that makes it a real model for Social Capital companies.

More than 1,100 associates in the companys buying organization actively source products from more than 21,000 vendors and more than 100 countries around the world, and all are required to comply with TJXs Vendor Code of Conduct that requires goods be manufactured and shipped not just in accordance with all laws, regulations and industry standards, but also with a commitment that goes way beyond the letter of the law to respect the rights of the workers who manufacture products.

TJXs long list of requirements in its code of conduct include such expected items as no forced labor or indentured labor, but also prohibits vendors from asking employees to regularly work more than 60 hours per week, and requires that all overtime must be voluntary. Moreover, it goes the extra mile to make sure all vendors ensure subcontractors and any other third parties they use comply with the principles described in this Code of Conduct, which can complicate the buying process but is something TJXs leaders believe is non-negotiable.

One of the most impressive of the companys commitments was the Rwenzori Trade Project, a sustainable trade program they helped to develop in Uganda in 2008, when TJX Europe partnered with Save the Children with the aim of supporting education in the cotton-growing communities in the Rwenzori region of Western Uganda. They began with 12 communities, funding classrooms and teachers housing as well as donating money to supply educational materials, clean water, and toilets but soon discovered that much more was needed.

As our program evolved, we learned that to sustain a long-term impact, these communities needed ways to generate greater and more reliable income for their families, TJX explains on its website. We began working with local partners to help create a sustainable trade program. Our goal was to help families living in this area increase their incomes so they could better care for themselves and send their children to school.

In 2011, TJX established a trade project to support the production of cotton, coffee, cocoa and handmade crafts. Together with local partners, they taught farmers not only how to develop better crop yields but a range of business skills from bookkeeping to product development.

What was the result?

According to TJX, Higher earnings, combined with consistent sales of their crops, give families in the region a more reliable and increased income stream, helping them pay for basic needs, school fees, and other necessities. We believe our support has made a difference.

So do we!

Tristan Walker: Walker & Company Brands

Allowing people to be their authentic selves is at the heart of Tristan Walkers creation of his Walker & Company Brands. The companys mission is to make health and beauty simple for people of color. I started years ago with Bevel out of a frustration that I couldnt find the right products for myself, he explains, noting that the retail experience for people of color at that time left a lot to be desired. This is my opportunity to not only educate the majority of the market but to also fill a void.

Noting his is the first and only brand to launch a line for curly and coily hair, Tristan says, Folks have been attempting to cater to this market for centuries -- we just felt they werent doing the right thing for centuries. Our goal is to showcase empowering messages through our brands. Tristan became the first Black CEO under the Procter & Gamble umbrella since its founding in 1837, and his flagship brand, Bevel, also became a category leader with distribution in Target and Walmart stores across the nation.

The population he aims to serve is more than a market. Tristan is also the founder of CODE2040, a program that matches high-performing Black and Latino undergraduate and graduate coders and software engineering students with Silicon Valley startups for summer internships.

The aim and mission for our Fellows Program is to support emerging Black and Latinx tech talent. We provide the students with all the tools to be successful. Were in the innovation economy, and companies need to hire talent that understands that. They need to recognize the benefits of hiring a diverse talent base, Tristan explains. I see the work that were doing here as the greatest opportunity of my lifetime.

Being authentic requires being proactive with respect to what interests and motivates him. As he says, A lot of people say they wont start because they need extra validation from others, who most of the time cant see what you can see. And people think they need to secure a certain level of funding before moving forward with an idea. How much has been left on the table because of people not simply starting? The advice he gives to others is what he, himself, follows: Just start.

From a Social Capital perspective, there can be no better way to show support for diversity than by empowering individuals in diverse populations with a way to make life better for them. And thats exactly what Tristan did.

Philip Behn: Imperfect Foods

Imperfect Foods found the perfect formula for how to care for the environment by making everyday life better for people through its mission to reduce food waste by saving perfectly good but imperfect produce targeted for the dumpsters and turning it into affordably boxed groceries delivered to peoples doors.

Go here to see the original:

Social Capital: Changing The World By Changing How The World Does Business - International Business Times

Coinciding with Curio Wellness retail rebranding to Far & Dotter, Swedish for father and daughter, a nod to the companys family founded roots

TOWSON, M.D., August 26, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Curio Wellness announced the application process opening for franchisee and investment fund applications in more than ten states nationwide, including MD, VA, PA, OH, MO, NJ, FL, MA, MI, and IL.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005081/en/

Coincident with the launch of the franchise offering, Curio Wellness will rebrand their retail business and future franchises under the new entity Far & Dotter (Swedish for Father and Daughter), a nod to Curio Wellnesss founding father and daughter team, Michael and Wendy Bronfein.

The new Far & Dotter brand pulls from the Scandinavian egalitarian and cooperative culture, with their commitment to community, self-care, and an integrative approach to wellness. The stores will continue Curios commitment to wellness and generational advancement, serving as holistic pharmacies and wellness hubs devoted to empowering local entrepreneurs and providing products and services that enhance patients quality of life.

"We are tremendously excited to expand the recognition of Curios award-winning retail wellness center concept, helping entrepreneurs become a franchisee, while ensuring their success through our best-in-class business operations and proven patient-focused model," said Wendy Bronfein, Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer, and Director of Public Policy at Curio Wellness. "At Far & Dotter, we continue the Curio Wellness commitment to a patient first, medically driven approach, helping people decipher and demystify a changing cannabis landscape honoring the wisdom and personal care we remember from family doctors and neighborhood pharmacists."

While anyone from a qualified state is eligible to apply to be a franchisee - women, minorities, and disabled veterans may also apply for start-up capital through the Curio Wellness Investment Fund to secure funds needed to open their own franchise location. Announced last November, the Fund aims to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry and is designed to support up to fifty applicants, providing them up to ninety-three percent of the capital needed to open a franchise. Diverse entrepreneurs will repay the startup loans with their portion of the dispensary earnings, resulting in 100% ownership as a franchisee over time.

Story continues

"After more than two years of effort to design an effective method of providing capital to diverse entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, it is a personal honor to officially begin the application process and to truly expand diversity and enable economic empowerment in the industry," said Jerel Registre, Managing Director of the Fund. "The Fund is a true testament to Curios goal to address systemic barriers and create generational wealth among aspiring women, BIPOC, and disabled veteran entrepreneurs."

Beginning today, entrepreneurs can apply online to be a franchisee at fardotter.com. Entrepreneurs also interested in applying for capital through the Curio Wellness Investment Fund will apply at the same link.

About Curio Wellness

Founded in 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland, Curio Wellness is a cGMP certified, vertically integrated medical cannabis company and trusted healthcare partner. Recognized as the leading wellness brand in cannabis by BDS Analytics, Curio is committed to serving patients with targeted, effective, and reliable cannabis- based medicine. In 2018, Curios flower and topical balm were named Best Flower and Topical in Maryland by Leafly. For more information visit curiowellness.com.

About Far & Dotter

Far & Dotter is a trusted expert and ally in the quest for innovative holistic healthcare and a personalized, unintimidating approach to cannabis education. We support consumers and franchisees through a contemporary, curated dispensary experience that emphasizes cannabis quality and pharmacist-led guidance. Our stores are holistic pharmacies and wellness hubs devoted to empowering local entrepreneurs and providing safe, effective, reliable products and services that enhance quality of life. Far & Dotter was founded by the team at Curio Wellness, a leading cannabis brand based in Maryland that established our proven, patient-first clinical approach and our inclusive franchise model. For more information visit fardotter.com.

Disclaimer

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. The states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin regulate the offer and sale of franchises. If you are a resident of one of these states, or seeking a franchise in one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your state. New York residents: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005081/en/

Contacts

Sloane Whelan401-529-2357Sloane.whelan@bcw-global.com

Continue reading here:

Curio Wellness Secures Industry-leading Franchisor License, Accepting Franchise and Investment Fund Applications in States Nationwide - Yahoo Finance

SPAG was built on the premise of Be Real. From the very start seven years ago, the firms managing director Shivani Gupta has been a vocal advocate of equality, diversity and inclusion at the workplace and her strides to empower woman has earned the agency praise from this years judges.

The agencys push to empower women has also given birth to a parent initiative under SPAGs thought leadership platform SPAG Dialogue called A room full of women. The initiative aims to move beyond mere policies and actually build equal, diverse and inclusive cultures.

Starting from the four walls within, the agency tackled the way employees thought about parenthood. In the agency, maternal leaves must be called parental leaves because the agency believes that the term maternal leave says that its only the womans job to look after the child. The balance, as such needs to start within minds before it is put on paper, else it is limited to a mere policy. Mindsets need to be re-nurtured.

While the agency believes that empowering women is important, it also knows that it must empower men so they can be allies in its efforts to truly create equal, diverse and inclusive workspaces.

The agency also took a long hard look at the PR industry to understand why while many women are seen in entry level or mid-level roles, the gender ratio suddenly dips as we go higher up in the ranks. It wanted to flip this trend through flexible work mechanisms and a deep level of understanding and communication to ensure that women rise up the ladder based on their talent, just as men do.

SPAG also organises regular sessions on listening and initiates open conversations which has over the years cultivated a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up. This has created an optimistic belief system and promoted equality, diversity and inclusion among employees. The agency also focuses extensively on soft-skill assessments and personality assessments. This allows the agency to bring on board team members who are self-aware, progressive, sensitive and cognitively agile. It is important to point out that SPAG doesnt believe in tokenism or one-off gestures for posturing when it comes to women empowerment. It prides on inclusivity and talent-based assessments being a core framework of all of its evaluation.

To ensure a inclusive culture, the agency also holds workshops that focus on soft-skills and wellness. The most recent example of this is in June 2021, where the team at SPAG not only celebrated pride month but used the month to start email conversation threads on how to be an ally, while providing teams access to resources where they can learn and educate themselves about the LGBTQIA+ community.

InsightsMatter is also a workshop and training held for employees for executive coaching. Supported by agency leaders, after holding several internal discussions a few months into the lockdown, one thing that emerged was that each woman had a different story to tell and through the workshop the agency altered its working dynamics to embrace more flexibility in work which helped many of its female staff manage work and home better.

Taking the initiative a step further, the agency thought, why not put all these varied perspectives out there and stir an internal discussion on WFH & Equality: Gender Roles, Women Solidarity and Mental Health. Videos featuring women at SPAG spoke about what equality means to them to shed more light pertinent issues to break down gender norms and biases.

The discussion was a huge hit where women in the organization felt heard. They spoke about rights to equal opportunity and cerebral equality personally and professionally. Throughout the discussion women of SPAG shared their personal experiences with various issues like societal conditioning, gender roles and mental health. All in all, this resulted in a cohesive environment for empowered men and women at SPAG.

To read the rest of the agency initiatives in the Adland Diversity & Inclusion Index 2021, click here.

Read the original post:

Adland Diversity & Inclusion Index 2021: SPAG - Marketing Interactive

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is equipping women with the financial tools to access their financial freedom.

The stock exchange hosted over 400 attendees at its fourth annual, virtual She Invests conference on August 21.

The event forms part of the stock exchanges efforts to boost female participation in the investment community by empowering, supporting and educating women who want to achieve financial security through investing.

According to JSE CEO Dr Leila Fourie, female economic empowerment is more critical now than ever as women, due to the pandemic, are worse off financially in comparison to men.

She Invests gives us at the JSE the opportunity to reflect what the role of women is and what we can do to change that.

According to the United Nations (UN), a majority of women work in the sectors that were the hardest hit by the pandemic. It is reported that women are 24% more likely to lose their jobs or suffer from a steep income fall in addition to the sheer uphill climb of the gender pay gap.

In addition, it was reported that many women did not feel confident that they would make the right investment decisions.

Host of the event, financial guru and bestselling author Nicolette Mashile, added that this is why discussions such as these were imperative to motivate and encourage women to explore opportunities in the financial sector.

The investment and financial sector is really not as intimidating as many women think it is and with the right help and tools, many women can realise their potential. We are here to say that we are creating a safe space for the individuals to engage, and females especially, to come to enable a future society that is economically sustainable, she said.

Panel discussions hosted some of the top women in personal finance, sharing life-changing insights and financial skills on how to plan for uncertainties.

According to financial journalist Maya Fisher-French, the pandemic has made people more conscious of the ever-changing circumstances that impact their finances. We are currently living in an unknown; a pandemic that has left no one untouched. Certainty is a construct of our imagination, a false sense of security, but the pandemic has shown us that those who are adaptable will pivot.

Fisher-French added that it was found that 47% of people, in the past year, had more than one income formal or informal. The reality is that many peoples primary income has not been able to keep up with inflation rates or make ends meet. This is why many people, including women, should consider investment opportunities.

She added that many people do not realise that investing has been significantly simplified over the years, including various do-it-yourself opportunities and easily accessible financial planners. Your personal finances are really important, and what stops people from dealing with it is fear. You just have to grab the bull by the horns and start working on it, Fisher-French concluded.

Related articles:

JSE celebrates 20 years in Sandton

Schools urged to enter this years JSE Investment Challenge

See the original post:

Empowering women in finance with the JSE - Sandton Chronicle

OBERLIN, Ohio and BRUSSELS, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --In The Joy of Public Speaking: Find Your Voice and Reach Your Peak Potential, Matthew Cossolotto distills many years of high-profile speechwriting and speech coaching experience into a comprehensive, how-to guide to help experienced, novice, and terrified speakers alike. Cossolotto's breakthrough book is packed with powerful mindset shifts, profound insights, and practical tips that can help readers advance their careers, enhance their leadership skills, and make a difference in the world.

"I love this little book," writes Granville Toogood, a leading speech coach and author ofThe Articulate Executive."As a speech coach and executive speechwriter, Matthew is as good as they come."

Matthew Cossolotto is an author, guest speaker, executive speechwriter, and speech coach. His senior-level leadership communications career spans the corridors of power on both sides of the Atlanticfrom NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to the Speaker's Office in the U.S. House of Representatives. A former aide to Congressman Leon Panetta, Cossolotto has coached and penned speeches for senior executives at a wide range of organizations, including UCLA and Fortune 100 corporations.

Opinion surveys confirm that most people rank public speaking as one of their top fears, along with spiders, snakes, and death itself. Cossolotto's inspiring new book embraces a simple proposition: People who learn to enjoy public speaking tend to be better at it than those hobbled by anxiety, trepidation, or outright terror.

Dedicated to the leaders and staff of NATO, the bookguides readers in recognizing self-defeating attitudes, feelings, and habits and replacing them with empowering mindsets to fast-track success on the podium and beyond. Readers will learn about these powerful concepts to propel them on their journey to joy:

Cossolotto's Personal Empowerment Trilogy: Reach Your Peak PotentialThe Joy of Public Speakingis the first book in Cossolotto's personal empowerment trilogy. Two more books are coming soon. One highlights the seven essential habits of SUCCESS and another promotes the power of promises with a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

The Joy of Public Speakingis available on Amazon books.

Contact:Matthew Cossolotto4045979018[emailprotected]

SOURCE Matthew Cossolotto

Continue reading here:

Joy and Public Speaking. Together at Last. Turn Stage Fright into Stage Delight with The Joy of Public Speaking, a New Book by Matthew Cossolotto -...

Menachem Forester is a student at the Chabad Yeshiva nestled in the ancient Venice Ghetto, established in 1516. The Ghetto, no longer designed to lock up Jews, is the vibrant center of Jewish life in the ancient Italian city. Every night, Forester makes the twenty-minute walk from the Jewish Ghetto to the pillars in the central town square, Piazza San Marco. Imported from Turkey in the 12th Century, the pillars rise high as a symbol of the political power of a trading center that linked the east and west.

But Forester sits at the pillars of another part of their symbolism. In 1533, it was the site of the mass burning of the Talmud. Venice was an early center of Jewish printing, home of the Bomberg Talmud, whose iconic layout became the standard to this day. Besides copies of the Talmud, other priceless manuscripts and Jewish books were burned on a quest to destroy Jewish knowledge, sparked by the hatred of the Spanish Inquisition.

When Forester arrives at the square, he opens his Talmud and spends an hour in Torah study. This is my way of responding to the tragedy of almost 500 years ago, he says. What better way than to study Torah and our Jewish tradition in the very place which our enemies sought to destroy it.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

Forester represents the remarkable era that we live in as Jews. Beyond the doom and gloom that Jews love to focus on and there are serious challenges we live in a remarkable time. As the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks would say: almost all Jews live in free countries where they can openly practice. We have a country where Jews have sovereignty. We are equipped with modern weaponry just over a month ago, while on a rabbinical solidarity mission in the wake of the most recent Gaza conflict, I got a glimpse of Israels newest weapon: the state of the art F-35 combat aircraft. Today Jews can defend themselves against our enemies and are free to study Torah where its books were burned some five centuries ago.

Lying at the core of what drives us as Jews is a sense of personal empowerment, the guts to stand up for ourselves, the guts to learn Torah in the very place that symbolizes its destruction.

Some years ago, I visited the British Museum. I wandered through the exhibits of ancient peoples like the Hittite and Babylonians. I saw the massive stone reliefs of Sennacherib exiling the Ten Tribes, the statues of the Greeks, Romans, Persians and others. Each empire rose and fell, and today their cultures exist in museums and archaeological sites. I stood there as a Jew, not very different from the ancient Jews who challenged these empires with the ideas of monotheism, justice, compassion and the mission to infuse the world with Divine purpose.

These superpowers had might that dominated the world for a few centuries, but each had its sunset. Yet the ideas that stand at the center of Judaism have the staying power because they transcend the limitation of time. Given by God at Sinai, they have meaning and are relevant every time and every place.

The lesson is clear. The ideas of the Torah are the core of our identity. If we care about a Jewish future, we dont need to change Judaism to fit a popular agenda of political-social action, even though Judaism does teach compassion. Nor is the answer to a Jewish tomorrow a secular nationalism devoid of the spiritual bond to the Jewish homeland. What we need is to teach the next generation authentic Torah. We need to instill in them wonder for Jewish knowledge, so they can find modern relevance to the ideas of this era. If they deeply appreciate it, they will pass it on to the next generation.

If youre looking for a place to start studying, drop by the Piazza San Marco at 10:00 PM every night. Menachem would be delighted to have a study partner.

Rabbi David Eliezrie is president of the Rabbinical Council of Orange County California. His email is rabbi@ocjewish.com

See the rest here:

Despite predictions of doom and gloom, Judaism is thriving - The Jerusalem Post

The MED Foundation of Mercer Health recently applied for a $25,000 grant from State Farm to bring COPE into each Mercer County school and was chosen as one of 200 finalists out of more than 2,000 submissions. The final recipients are chosen via online voting from the community and the top 40 receive $25,000 in funding.

Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE) is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral skills building program offered through Mercer Healths Center for Healthy Weight and Wellness that helps children, teens and young adults develop skills to stop negative thoughts and to think and act in more positive ways. Limited access to mental health care, cost, insurance coverage, transportation and the time commitment related to taking children out of school to see a professional create barriers that can often prevent the youth in our community from receiving support that they need. Receiving the grand funding to bring COPE into local schools would remove many of these barriers for the children who actively need this support while providing preventative coping skills in order to help them become healthy, positive, productive teens and adults.

By bringing COPE into the schools, we remove the access to care barriers so many students face, Jennifer Bills, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and certified COPE provider, said. By proactively teaching kids how to interrupt negative thoughts and focus on healthy coping mechanisms, we can positively impact the overall health and wellbeing of students in our community.

The MED Foundation is seeking the communitys help by voting for this program to receive one of the forty $25,000 Neighborhood Assist grants from State Farm. Starting today, August 18, U.S. residents who are 18 and older with a valid email address can vote for the cause at neighborhoodassist.com.

About State Farm Neighborhood Assist

State Farm Neighborhood Assist is a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods. The State Farm Review Committee selected the top 200 finalists from 2,000 submissions.

About the MED Foundation

The MED Foundation of Mercer Health was established in December of 1988 by a group of community leaders and hospital administration to provide enhancements and educational support for the future of health care services within our community. Our mission is to cultivate philanthropic relationships that enhance Mercer Healths ability to fulfill its mission and vision. The MED Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

Read more:

The MED Foundation of Mercer Health has been selected as a State Farm Neighborhood Assist Top 200 Finalist - Mercer Health

Mon, Aug 16, 2021

MENASourcebyGhadah W. Alharthi

A large banner shows Saudi Vision for 2030 as a soldier stands guard before the arrival of Saudi King Salman at the inauguration of several energy projects in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Zuhair Al-Traifi

With its Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia encouraged businesses to participate in its development and to address national challengesespecially in critical sectors, such as health care, education, housing, and cultural and social programsrather than focusing solely on generating profits. Vision 2030 calls for a more effective third sector for non-profits, among other things.

Social entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia is an evolving phenomenon. In June, the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of the National Center for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector (NCNP), which will regulate the sector. The center is one of the National Transformation Program initiatives in Vision 2030, and its purpose is to empower the non-profit sector to achieve a deeper social and economic impact.

According to academics Sophie Bacq and Frank Janssen, social entrepreneurship is the process of identifying, evaluating, and exploiting opportunities for social value creation through commercial, market-based activities or other resources. Social entrepreneurship has existed in Saudi Arabia for many decades. An early example was a school in Mecca that would cost the equivalent of less than a dollar today. Saudi Arabia currently shows low levels of social entrepreneurial activity compared to other countries, but this may be due to the lack of data on social enterprises in the country. Currently, there is an estimated one not-for-profit social organization per ten thousand people in Saudi Arabia compared to around fifty per ten thousand in Canada and the United States.

According to experts Ive spoken to, the number of social enterprises in the country has increased in the past decade. This increase is partly due to the work of international foundations (e.g. Ashoka and Acumen), local foundations (e.g. King Khalid Foundation), corporations (e.g. Abdul Latif Jameel Group), some higher education institutions (e.g. Effat University and Dar Al-Hekma), charity foundations, such as for housing and womens empowerment, and personal initiatives of Saudi entrepreneurs. The community shares a commitment to achieving positive social impact using innovative and financially sustainable methods.

One of the most prominent examples of social entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia is Glowork, a social enterprise that encourages womens participation and integration into the Saudi workforce. It was founded by Khalid Alkhudair, who started the online Glowork platform in 2011. By 2017, it had placed 27,000 women in Saudi Arabias workplaces and found work-from-home employment for over five hundred women living in rural areas.

Social entrepreneurs engage problem-solving skills and local knowledge in search of innovative solutions. Innovation is the building block of entrepreneurship, opening new avenues to create wealth. Social innovation focuses on the addition of social value as part of the mission. For Saudi Arabia to create an enabling environment for social entrepreneurship and unlock social innovation and impact investing, it may wish to address three main issues: government regulation and policy, societal perceptions, and the education system.

Government regulations and financing

The formal institutional environment is essential when it comes to innovation. A challenge Saudi social enterprises face is which type of registration and profit model to adopt. Founders have had to choose between for-profit and non-profit optionsthere is no middle ground. As a result, some social entrepreneurs incorporate without fully understanding the consequences of the regulatory environment associated with their companys registration type. Sometimes social entrepreneurs incorporate with a certain model only to find out about new business models that could better serve their interests. However, this issue should be resolved over time with Junes establishment of the NCNP.

Financing is another difficulty social entrepreneurs face. It is vital for social entrepreneurs to find access to capital market funding, given their social mission. This is not an issue specific to Saudi Arabia; it is a global one for most social entrepreneurs. It is difficult to measure social impact or key performance indicators that apply to all types of social enterprises, especially when the legal structure and regulations have not yet been developed for that countrys sector. In addition, the social impact achieved by a social enterprise may not be directly observable and, as a result, could be hard to measure and prove to potential investors and sponsors.

Therefore, the Saudi government may wish to concentrate on devising specific regulations for social enterprises while also offering fees and tariff exemptions and opportunities to bid on government contracts. The government can also support the establishment of social entrepreneurship incubators and accelerators. Existing incubators and accelerators have contributed much to the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, but not many exist for social entrepreneurship currently.

Saudi societys perception of social entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial activity can be facilitated or hindered by certain socio-cultural practices, values, and norms. Indeed, a social entrepreneurs motivation is partly influenced by societal perception about the desirability of pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

A society must value creativity and the implementation of new ideas to flourish economically and culturally. Therefore, increasing societysawareness of social entrepreneurship should be one of the most urgent priorities for the newly established NCNP. Currently, Saudi society may not clearly understand the differences between standard work, charity work, social entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. However, improving the perception of social entrepreneurship is more difficult than simply creating an appropriate regulatory environment. Involving the media to feature profiles of domestic heroes as well as giving formal recognition to social entrepreneurs will go a long way to improving societal perceptions about social entrepreneurship.

The twelve Saudi social entrepreneurs I interviewed for my research over the course of four years had expectations built from their education, including examples of successful foreign social entrepreneurship case studies. At the beginning of their endeavor, they also believed that Saudi Arabias normative environment provided favorable conditions for social entrepreneurship. In my research, I found that they later realized the gaps in the environment, yet still managed to adapt to some of the issues they faced in the field.

Despite operating in a non-institutionalized context, the social entrepreneurs I studied were optimistic, confident, resilient, and hopefulall of which are important traits for leaders and visionaries trying to make a change and solve social issues. If these strengths are combined with the right regulations and societal support from the beginning, social entrepreneurs could thrive even more and increase their chances of success. Moreover, if social entrepreneurs start their endeavor with more awareness of the institutional environment, they may be better equipped to deal with the challenges they face.

Social entrepreneurship in the Saudi education system

Education can prepare social entrepreneurs to identify barriers and devise strategies to overcome them. Currently, social entrepreneurship is being integrated into the curriculum of some Saudi universities, with major events and workshops taking place to promote the concept, such as in Dar Al-Hekma University and Effat University. However, Saudi social entrepreneurs still often have turn to educational resources from abroad to learn more about the concept of social entrepreneurship. This reliance on foreign material can be problematic because it does not consider the differences in the local context, like cultural norms and the different ministries evolving regulations.

It is important to foster formal and informal learning about social entrepreneurship by offering modules in Saudi universities and schools, as well as courses and webinars and Arabic material on social entrepreneurship. Educational institutions can host workshops and competitions, provide technical support to social entrepreneurs, and connect social entrepreneurs to a larger audience, including public, private, and international organizations. Educating citizens about social change and social entrepreneurship will help them generate ideas to tackle urgent social issues and provide them with positive role models.

Conclusion

Social entrepreneurship is an evolving phenomenon and by far the most crucial type of entrepreneurship in allowing citizens to play an active role alongside the government in solving environmental and social issues in Saudi Arabia. The government has taken an initial positive step to create a supportive regulatory environment by establishing the NCNP. The next step would be to increase positive societal perceptions about social entrepreneurship, provide educational opportunities to students and would-be entrepreneurs, and highlight case studies and role models operating in the Saudi context. The goals of Saudis Vision 2030 will require innovation on all fronts, and social entrepreneurship can be a leading driver of the countrys advancement once nurtured properly.

Dr. Ghadah W. Alharthi is an associate director and lecturer at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She is also a Middle east specialist and cultural consultant at Barker Langham. Follow her on Twitter: @GhadahWA.

Mon, Aug 2, 2021

Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have wisely made the economy the focal point of their strategies for the future, as evidenced by national policy changes and a reduction in foreign adventures. Ending the Qatar blockade, and opening a dialogue with adversarial neighbors like Iran and Turkey is linked to long-term economic ambitions.

MENASourcebyAmjad Ahmad

View post:

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 aims to empower the non-profit sector. Here are three areas to focus on. - Atlantic Council

19-year-old singer-songwriter Billie Eilish sends powerful messages of female empowerment and perseverance in her new album Happier Than Ever.

The album consists of 16 honest and personal tracks that Eilish wrote and produced with her older brother, Finneas. Eilish explores themes of female empowerment and finding personal strength a departure from her previous album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? which features a dark, less hopeful tone touching on heavier themes like mental health and drugs.

I cant even process it. This was the most fulfilling, most satisfying and profound experience Ive ever had with my music, Eilish wrote in an Instagram post marking the release of her sophomore album.

Eilish begins the album with vulnerability, singing in a soft, calm voice about the struggles she has faced in her career and personal life, in the song Getting Older. Starting with a note of gratitude despite her struggles, she slowly opens her heart to her listeners, saying that she crave[s] pity and would lie for attention, only to get rejected in return. In the chorus, her smooth voice gets higher as she reflects on her life as a singer. The song progresses, and she shares that she has grown as a person while cleverly nodding to the title of her album: Im gettin better at admitting when I was wrong / Im happier than ever, at least, thats my endeavor / To keep myself together and prioritize my pleasure.

Getting Older ends with a note of reassurance: Eilish concludes that she will find happiness despite the hardships that accompany spending most of her teenage years in the public eye. I love the honesty, hope and beauty in this song. Although she doesnt sing loudly against a dynamic, electronic beat like in other parts of her discography, Getting Older holds even more power with its soft, stripped-down instrumentals.

The albums ensuing tracks explore the end of a relationship and the start of a new one. Then comes track four, My Future, which was originally released as a single exactly one year before the albums release; this song chronicles Eilish leaving a relationship and finding herself. She sings of her newfound independence and hope: Im in love / With my future / Cant wait to meet her Im in love / But not with anybody else / Just wanna get to know myself.

I adore the inspiring and refreshing nature of the lyrics in My Future. Eilish sings in what almost sounds like a lullaby, her voice layered soothingly in the background. Then, the beat changes to a faster rhythm, and drums join the accompaniment, signifying a sense of empowerment in a song sure to resonate with fans.

Eilish continues to explore the theme of female empowerment in the ninth track of her album, Not My Responsibility. But the songs style sharply diverges from the albums other tracks. Rather than singing over an electronic sound or soft beat in the background, she speaks over a static synth tone. Speaking rather than singing helps her emphasize her message and distinguish Not My Responsibility from the rest of her tracks. Denouncing how she is often judged by her physical appearance, she stresses that women should not be reduced to their bodies and clothing.

In the music video for the track, Eilish also departs from her omnipresent baggy clothing (which she wears to avoid sexualization of her body), and takes off her outer garments in a powerful statement. In reference to body-shaming she has faced for wearing oversized clothing, she sings, Some people hate what I wear / Some people praise it / Some people use it to shame others / Some people use it to shame me / But I feel you watching / Always / And nothing I do goes unseen.

Later, she speaks softly yet captivatingly as she poses rhetorical questions about her body to the audience: Do my shoulders provoke you? Does my chest? / Am I my stomach? My hips? / The body I was born with / Is it not what you wanted? As a young woman, I feel intimately impacted by Eilishs message in Not My Responsibility. She leverages her musical talent to speak truth: women should never be judged by their physical appearance.

Eilish sends another powerful message in Your Power, which was released as a single in April. In the song, she reflects on an abusive relationship, singing, I thought that I was special / You made me feel / Like it was my fault, you were the devil. She sings hauntingly and beautifully with the sound of soft strumming in the background. Throughout this track, she tells her ex-boyfriend, Try not to abuse your power. On Spotify, under the Storyline, Eilish wrote, I hope that all young women who have been taken advantage of feel heard. I am awed by her ability to share her story so intimately she once again sends a powerful message in reflecting on her personal experiences.

Happier than Ever is my favorite Billie Eilish album yet. Though each song is unique, she incorporates themes of female empowerment throughout. I would strongly recommend this album not only because of Eilishs beautiful vocals and heartfelt songwriting, but, perhaps most importantly, because of her sheer vulnerability.

Read the rest here:

Billie Eilish's 'Happier Than Ever' is both powerful and vulnerable - The Stanford Daily