Happy Women’s History month! To celebrate the accomplishments of women in PT as well as discuss the current issues and future of women in the profession, we will be joined by 3 fantastic women who are leaders in the PT profession. Ann Wendel (@pranapt) is a private practice owner of a cash based PT clinic in Alexandria, VA and is also involved in many side projects such as writing articles on health and fitness for various blogs and magazines. Heidi Jannenga (HeidiJannenga) is the co-founder of Web PT, the leading web-based electronic medical record system for PT. Sue Falsone (@suefalsone) is a business owner and was the first female team physical therapist to be hired in Major League Baseball history. She spent some time with the LA Dodgers.
So what do these women have in common professionally? They have all faced challenges as a woman leader. They have overcome obstacles. They are passionate about having true equality of women and men in our profession by helping upcoming women leaders know their potential. In their personal lives, these women are all very different. They have different hopes and dreams, family and marital situations, and strengths. Yet their passion of shedding light on how to develop women leaders is in sync.
The chat this Wednesday will focus on many of the themes discussed in Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In. Haven’t read it? No worries! Watch her 15 minute TED talk here and be prepared to be enlightened and empowered. The conversation will be open, honest, and at points, potentially challenging. This chat is not just for our fellow females but also for the men so that we as a whole profession can be elevated. As Sandberg points out in her book: In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.
See you Wednesday at 9pm EST! The live chat link will be posted on Twitter and Facebook a few minutes before go time.
I will leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from Lean In that truly resonated with me…
“The more women help one another, the more we help ourselves. Acting like a coalition truly does produce results. Any coalition of support must also include men, many of whom care about gender inequality as much as women do”
“Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women. When a man is successful, he is liked by both men and women. When a woman is successful, people of both genders like her less.”
“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”
“There is no perfect fit when you’re looking for the next big thing to do. You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around. The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.”
You should have asked someone in leadership in the Sports Section to participate! We have several women who are passionate about mentoring and helping other women grow and succeed! @barbhoogie