Quick Six is a new editorial series that aims to connect our readers with movers and shakers from the Lexington community, through six questions answered over email.
Social psychologist and Ziva Voices founder Dr. Kinga Mnich. Photo furnished
As a social psychologist committed to positive change, Dr. Kinga Mnich believes that science-based approaches can unlock the power that resides inside each of us. To that end, in 2022 she started Ziva Voices, a website, quarterly magazine and event series committed to telling women’s stories and helping change the way women in business are perceived.
This month, the organization will bring a dozen female speakers from around the world to Lexington for HerStory in the Making, an event offering a collection of conversations with experts on topics ranging from women’s health, creating wealth, women in tech, women in agriculture and more. You can learn more at zivavoices.com/ziva-voices-herstory-in-the-making-speaker-event-2023/#.
Tell me what led you to create Ziva Voices. I was inspired to start Ziva Voices and our quarterly magazine and events because of the lack of representation of women’s success stories in media. Women’s stories are often overshadowed or ignored. These omissions can lead us to believe that our contributions are less valuable to society. So we decided to tell women’s stories — how we contribute to our communities and economies all over the world, what drives us, what challenges we face and how we can make change happen.
What do you think are the most important things each of us can do now to change the culture for women?
I think the most important thing each of us can do is to understand that we have impact — no matter how big or small. So many people “opt out” because they think their “smaller” contribution won’t matter or that they don’t have influence. But, if each of us did what we could, the impact would be enormous. So first, it’s awareness that our efforts matter.
We must break the myth of constant competition. We are all in this together, and the more people who are successful, the better our community will do. We often fail to speak up or acknowledge someone else out of fear of them outshining us or our work. It is crucial to encourage each other and overcome this limiting belief.
If you want to change the culture and don’t know where to start, I say start by amplifying another woman by mentoring her, or supporting a women’s small business, or even stepping up and using your network to create access to resources and capital. The two biggest challenges women face are the lack of support and access to capital. We can change this.
Your upcoming event features great diversity in your line-up of speakers. Why is it important to you to represent women’s voices from many cultures and backgrounds? Women face similar obstacles no matter where they are in the world. We are all interconnected. Showcasing women from all over the world demonstrates how interconnected we are. While the challenges can be similar, the solutions are diverse, and sometimes someone already has the solution we are looking for. We want to connect women for this reason.
By showcasing women from many cultures, we are aiming to showcase how much we have in common and how much we need to build unity instead of feeding into biases.
In your work, what's the most hopeful sign you see for the future? Women celebrating women. Women investing their time and money in this event. The amount of interest and enthusiasm we have received from all over the world. The support that we see in collaborations and how women are speaking about one another. Women on the other side of the world offering free training to prepare our speakers. The way women collaborate within our network is truly incredible. Many have never met in person, but they share the same vision.
What drives or inspires you in your work? Over the years I had the pleasure of working with women around the world, and no matter where I was I saw women achieve great success despite many obstacles. Some of the most impressive solutions have been created between women collaborating across cultures. But many never receive the visibility and credit they deserve.
Wangari Maathi's story is one of these — in spite of winning a Nobel Peace Prize, many people have never heard of this incredible woman who has changed not only the environmental space in Kenya and across Africa, she has also fought for women’s rights in a time of great turmoil. Stories like these motivate me, and the opportunity to connect with these incredible women is what keeps me going every day.
What's a great piece of advice you have received you'd like to pass along? Arthur Ashe said it first: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” In this way, we can each achieve great change.