Do you have a Girl Boss in your workplace or life? Or perhaps you are one of them yourself?
“Girl Boss” is a phrase my 20-year-old daughters have used to praise those women in their lives who publicly assert themselves with confidence and clarity. And while I know that others have conjured a more negative definition of the term, (one of a woman in the workplace seen as overly loud, aggressive or cruel), I much prefer the portrayal seen through my daughters’ eyes.
And this positive description of this neologism certainly applies to the successful women we portray in this latest issue, dedicated to Women Business Leaders. Finding stories for this issue wasn’t a hard thing to do here in the North Bay. In fact, our inkwells ran dry before story ideas about successful local women did!
“Redemption Song,” is about Sonoma County residents Elizabeth Quiroz and Lisa Diaz-McQuaid, survivors of human sex trafficking—once controlled by addictions, unsupported by family and other women, and abused by the men in their lives.
In “Networking, Girlfriends-Style,” Judith Wilson takes us behind the scenes of wholly different support, the Marin and Sonoma Women at Work groups. This network of female business owners meet regularly to share their experiences and resources. Each lends support to another as they journey through the rigors of financing, building and maintaining small businesses. Many of the members will tell you straight up: there are all kinds of pitfalls women face at the top. Feelings of apprehension, isolation and a lack of success hit men and women alike—but the Women at Work groups have missions aimed directly at women entrepreneurs. These women learn the benefit of appreciating what we they have already accomplished—and use it as a tool for confronting the business challenges they continually face.
And writer Mark Fernquest contributes to the issue with a plumb assignment: chronicling the legacy of the late Lytton Rancheria chairperson Margie Mejia. Indeed, this incredible Girl Boss crafted a wonderful legacy as the Tribal Leader of The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians. I’m so proud to share that I knew Margie and saw time and time again how meaningfully she touched the lives of her tribal community and thousands of others.
Boy did she love her jewelry—and to a casual observer, it was all they would notice about her. But they missed the best of Margie, a leader who put her tribe’s interest first, saw a clear path toward seminal (and very necessary) changes, and possessed a tremendously giving spirit. Only 66 years young upon her passing in 2022, but over 30 years of achievements! Funded through one of the most successful casinos in Northern California, Mejia broke through to an often bigoted and fearful population in Sonoma County to lay the groundwork for a memorandum of understanding between the Lytton Rancheria and the County of Sonoma. Their 511-acre homeland, just west of Windsor, will house 147 tribal residences, a resort hotel and a winery. With the construction well underway, we expect its completion will be a fitting culmination of her life’s work.
May my daughters grow to be Girl Bosses such as these.
Always good to hear from you…even when you point out my misunderstandings…. So send me a note at Lawrence@Northbaybiz.com . All my best to you and the Girl Bosses in your life.