On June 1st and 2nd, Kim Wunner of Kim Wunner Consulting & Coaching and Sarah Ohanesian of So Productive will present a virtual workshop: Leadership Skills for Every Girl Who Prints. The two-hour workshop, which Girls Who Print is powering, will focus on helping women developing five key leadership skills. 

The registration deadline is Friday, May 19th. For more information and to register, please visit Wunner’s website.

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Recently we sat down with Wunner to ask her about the workshop and about why it is so important for women to develop leadership skills.

TSR: What is the best strategy for woman who want to occupy more “space” in the workplace and leadership roles without sparking so much internal discomfort?

KW: This is such a great question! The idea of space is not only physical but mental and communicative as well. The workplace has not made the space for us, and so we find ourselves opening the space. 

We have historically been told to be small. We sit with our legs crossed. We diet to keep our bodies small. Small equals not imposing, it equals not being so “selfish” as to take up someone else’s space. The fact is, there is more than enough space for all of us.

The best strategy to occupy more space as an individual is to first feel into the space you take up. Physically make yourself as big as you can. This is what I call the “power pose.” Move your body to intentionally be big: get on your toes, hold your arms out, and stand with your legs wide. Get used to taking up space. Do this before every situation where you feel small so you and your body get used to being big.

There will be internal discomfort because we are going against cultural norms that are DEEPLY ingrained in us. The cult of the small woman is in EVERYTHING. The way to minimize that discomfort is to start taking it on by being bigger. 

TSR: What is a workshop like this necessary?

KW: Another great one! There are several reasons this workshop and more leadership workshops are needed:

• We need to invest in ourselves. Women are seeking leadership in their careers and professional lives then we have to develop the skills to do just that. No one is going to do it for us. We were not taught these skills but they are 100% attainable.

• We need community. The more we come together and build an intentional community of women who are looking to thrive, the more successful we will be. This is strategic networking building, it is the primary ingredient in building a career. No one got where they are alone.

• We Are Ready to take the workplace on. We want agency of over the direction of our careers. That means we need systems to support it, we need goals, we need opportunities and we need time management to integrate the skills. This workshop is designed to not only give the skills but to teach women how to organize themselves. 

TSR: Who will benefit the most from attending?

KW: This workshop is for any woman in a male dominated industry. In particular, it is a must for women who: 

• want to learn how to strategically build a network;
• are frustrated with not being able to gain the respect of their (male) co-workers;
• are ready to command a room;
• want to be more organized with their time and priorities; and
• want to be the director of their own career.

The registration deadline is Friday, May 19th. For more information and to register, please visit Wunner’s website.