Early sketches of EVEN.

Early discussions between Nora and I focused on challenges we wanted to solve, the problem spaces that would energise us and make a real difference. There are many big problems out there that we wanted to act on but the one we kept coming back to was our constant juggle as working women and the constant juggle of work and life we know so many women out there also experience.  

Looking at the blank page as we started our venture from scratch, I did what I always do first, picked up a pen and drew.  

Here are four key ideas that we kept coming back to. These scratchings are not beautiful works of art but they enabled Nora and I to start to grasp at our idea, share with our nearest and dearest, and experiment further.  

Women’s Personal Math

The constant life choices of women have such an impact on their careers, it feels like an ongoing math's test where there’s no right answer. Women’s lives are challenged with questions like “When / should I find a partner? When’s the best time to have a baby? Can I afford a house? How would divorce affect me?  I don’t know where to go to find an answer...” The personal math is overwhelming as the risk to a woman’s economic outlook can be huge, we knew this had to be a focus for our new business. 

The desire to contribute  

Women are educating themselves more than ever before. Their desire to make a living and a life for themselves has never dampened. But women’s career and life choices drastically affect their futures. With responsibilities expanding as life goes on, we asked is there a career pathway of least resistance and maximum success? 

A boundless community of champions  

We all build our own board of personal directors throughout our careers. It can take a lifetime to build a group of people who champion you no matter what and whose advice you completely trust. Your personal board becomes instrumental to your success, advocating for you when you’re not in the room and connecting you to others who share similar goals. We asked, could we create a methodology for this to work at scale for women anywhere in the world? 

Many awesome women doing awesome things 

And finally, we wanted to provide unlimited access to the insights, knowledge and hard-earned expertise of women changing the world, who have been there, and done that. We wanted every woman to be able to find a role model that looks like them. We wanted every woman to be able to learn from the best women in the world. In summary, awesome women doing awesome things.