Hello & Happy May,
 
We hope you had a restful weekend and feel aligned for a month of elevation. In 2015, the New York Times ran a story on how fewer women ran big companies than men named John.
 
Last week, Bloomberg reported that female CEOs finally outnumber those named John as a record 31 women are now running S&P companies. A minor victory, but we'll take it.
 
We wanted to kick start this week's newsletter with three pieces of advice on getting to the C Suite.
 
Take more risks! Kathryn Raethel explained, "Women have a tendency to be self-limiting—we think we can't do something because we fail to appreciate our abilities. Because of that, we're sometimes less willing to take risks, step outside of the box, and pursue an opportunity that presents itself.
 
Whenever a door opens, walk through it if you can—take the risk, don't grow too comfortable where you are. When you have a can-do attitude, people seek you out."
 
Speak up. In the words of Suzy Monford, "My greatest leadership skill is my ability to communicate, to tailor and craft messages that resonate with audiences, whether I'm in the backroom talking with truck drivers or in a meeting with the executive board. And, by the way, the boardroom is where you need to be the most courageous and forthright — and always speak truth to power."
 
Increase your visibility. NJ Goldston explains, "Who you know within your industry and area of expertise can be a major advantage in moving your agenda forward, and some of the best connections are made outside the office. Use informal gatherings and industry events to make connections that may prove invaluable to projects and your career. By having strong and varied contacts, you bring new resources to your company, gain credibility, and build a powerful professional network."
 
Source: Vunela 
 
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HOW TO: PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW
 
1. Research is vital - research the company, role and industry before your interview.
 
2. Know the format - if you’re unsure, ask so you know what to expect. Different formats include one-to-one, panel interviews and group discussions.
 
3. Test run - if you need to travel to your interview, do a test run to ensure you arrive on time. If it’s a video or phone interview, test your equipment, such as computer and WiFi, to ensure you’re ready.
 
4. Practice makes perfect - spend time researching common interview questions and how you might respond to them; it helps to practice the answers and process with someone else. Although you may feel silly, this exercise can help you to feel more confident and prepared.
 
5. Think of questions you need to ask in your interview - be sure to have a list of questions you can ask when given the opportunity, especially any that make you sound keen. Questions you might want to ask include, are you concerned about my skills gaps? (this is the perfect opportunity to reassure your interviewer if possible) Can you tell me about opportunities for training and progression? What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
 
6. Affirmations – pre-interview nerves are normal. Write down some affirmations you can use beforehand to boost your confidence and calm your nerves. 
 

IN THE NEWS
 
🇬🇧 The NHS is to offer a new self-controlled pain relief method to women in labour instead of an epidural. Read more here
 
🇺🇸 In the latest instalment of things we love to see, US women now make as much or more than men in half of marriages. 
 
🇩🇪 Germany is possibly the only country in the world where struggling parents are legally entitled to a "Kur", a health retreat of about three weeks every four years. BBC takes us inside the German clinics for burnt-out parents. 
 
🌍 What is happening in Sudan and why? The Independent explains the current war and conflict here
 
👀 A former rocket scientist says this is why most people pick the wrong career. 
 
✊🏽 Forbes explores what it will take to retain women in the workplace and enable them to thrive; read more here

GIRLS TALK RECOMMENDATIONS
 
Read: Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur
Watch: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey | The Light We Carry
Add to playlist: Flo - Fly Girl feat. Missy Elliott

STAFF PICK 
 
This week’s staff pick is Nigerian crime-action thriller Gangs of Lagos on Amazon Prime from our community & talent manager, Demola. The movie’s plot revolves around a group of friends navigating a life of crime in downtown Lagos's famous and daunting streets. After losing loved ones, they set out on a quest for vengeance to right the wrongs of the gangs on the streets of Lagos.
 

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SIDE HUSTLE SPOTLIGHT 
 
Stephanie Tuba is an accountant and body care side hustler from Farmington, Michigan. During the day, Stephanie works in corporate accounting, specialising in managing large-volume inventory selections, analysing and keeping track of large company debts, equity, and credit lines, and dealing with multiple small businesses under one parent company.
 
Stephanie has been in accounting for the last six years and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
 
Q. What is your side hustle, and when did you start it?
 
A. I started my side hustle, Tarabusi Creek, in 2014 while moving out of my parent’s house to attend the University of Michigan. I was going through their garage looking for items to take with me and saw a box of old soap supplies in a box on one of my dad’s shelves. Curious about it, I pulled it down and was hit with a wave of nostalgia; me and my dad had tried making soap back when I was about ten years old as an in-home science and craft experiment.
 
So, upon finding this box of almost-10-year-old supplies, I started researching different soapmaking methods and roped my dad back in for one last summer craft experiment before I left for college. We looked like mad scientists out in his garage, with my mom giving us the curious (and maybe a little concerned) eye every time she walked past, and we made our first batch of cold processed soap. It was a refreshing crash course on soapmaking, and we were excited about the little cube of soap we had made. My dad and I sliced it up the next day, and from then on, I was hooked.
 
Q. What inspired you to start?
 
A. Although I started making soap at 19, I didn’t start treating this like a business until a couple of years in. Then, around 2016, one of my posts online went viral during a small (and very casual) Black Friday sale I was running, and I ended up with almost 200 orders in one night.
 
For someone who hadn’t had more than ten orders a month for the past two years, this was the pivot point where I decided to launch this into a full-blown side hustle. I mean, I had so many orders to fulfil, suddenly! I was a bit panicked, but I got them all out in about two weeks and had to shift my entire mindset into how to scale my hobbyist operation into something that could handle that many orders at once.
 
So, the decision to start soapmaking as a hobby and the decision to turn it into a business were two different decisions, about two years apart from one another. Since then, it has been one heck of a journey, and I have learned so much along the way.
 
Q. Where do you see your side hustle five years from now?
 
A. So, if you had asked me this even last year, I would’ve told you that I’d love to see myself quitting my full-time job and launching into this feet first, with a brick-and-mortar store, employees, and a global expanse of networks in which my products were travelling. However, after the last year of business, I’m perfectly okay keeping this as a side hustle.
 
And, I know, that’s probably not what most people with side hustles want to hear. I’ve come to find that everyone wants to bask in the glory of being self-employed when things are going well, but no one wants to talk about what happens when things don’t go well. Last year, right about this time, I was going through the unfortunate process of having to let go of my one employee and break a $50,000 lease.
 
It was a devastating setback for my business, and to keep myself sane and make sure the bills were paid, I leaned harder into my full-time job. Although I think we’d all love to be making enough money with our side hustle to live off, it comes with many risks; that risk can be advantageous but also terrifying, and being purely self-employed is not for everyone.
 
For a lot of people, working for “the man” is perfectly okay. For now, I’m looking forward to rebuilding my side hustle in a carefully crafted manner, one that doesn’t necessarily need to save me from my corporate life one day.
 
Q. Do you have any advice for someone considering starting a side hustle?
 
A. Don’t fall into the trap that the only way to find happiness is through making your side hustle your main hustle! If you genuinely think that’s what you want to do one day, though, it’s doable.
 
Some of the things to consider before dumping the 9-to-5 job include whether or not you’ll be able to afford to do everything the correct way; do you have enough income coming in to put yourself on payroll and pay the associated payroll taxes? Do you have enough to pay for your health insurance (if you’re in the US)? Do you have enough to put into a proper retirement account? All of these things, while I was working to expand, ended up being too much for me to take on at the time, especially while trying to juggle a corporate career.
 
It can also be a lot of work managing employees, running a store, office, or manufacturing space, and dealing with how to scale up if you’re in production. Business owners wear many hats, which can become exhausting if you aren’t organised – and even if you are.
 
Side hustles can be a great way to earn a little extra cash, but they can also become a ton of work. It’s easy to get burned out in making your passion into a business, so don’t forget to stop now and again to reflect on if this resonates within you for the long haul. And if not? It’s okay to put it down. Not every hobby needs to be profit-generating!
 
I love making bath and body products, and I can’t imagine my life without Tarabusi Creek. In the almost ten years since I made soap with my dad in the garage, this side hustle has looked different during various stages of its development; just like we go through personal growth as we get older, your side hustle will most likely take on other forms too, and it’s essential to pay attention to the growth patterns and growing pains you come across in your small business along the way, just like you would with yourself. 
 
Keep shining!
 
Until next time, Girls Talk 
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