DRIVENWOMAN ‘HALL OF FAME’
Inspirational women who go after their dreams.
Our mission is to help all women follow their dreams and live a ‘bigger life’. Together we move from thinking to acting, from overwhelm to clarity and from doubting our own ideas to confidently pursuing our path.
DrivenWoman has helped thousands of women to define what success means for them and break a pattern that we need to ask for a permission to succeed. When women stop accepting a daily struggle as a norm the world will change.
We want to inspire everyone to believing in great outcomes, this is why we share inspirational stories of DrivenWoman members who have made it. Let’s celebrate women who gain the confidence to build a better world.
Ncheta Dasilva - Founder of Zola Eve sustainable yoga wear
“I’ve been working in finance for over 15 years, I loved my job but over the last few years I’ve had a feeling of angst and restlessness, that there’s something else I should be doing to fill a void in my life.
At the end of 2016 I was feeling low from personal setbacks and slightly disillusioned with life I decided I’d rid myself of this internal feeling. I realised that staying within my comfort zone was keeping me trapped in a cycle of restlessness.
I started exploring life and saying ‘yes’ to opportunities, and found great support at DrivenWoman for nurturing my journey.
Fast forward 18 months and I’ve now launched Zola Eve, a high performing yoga wear made in the UK using recycled plastics. The brand is devoted to promoting body positivity. Whoever you are, you should always try to be happy in your own skin.
I’m so happy to say that I have found a real purpose and I’m grateful I had the courage to follow that feeling of restlessness as it has guided me to where I am today.”
Want to learn more about Ncheta’s journey? Read an article on how she started HERE.
Victoria von Stein - Founder of Victoria von Stein fine jewellery
“Believe in yourself – that’s what people say, but it’s not that easy. How can you believe in yourself if you are not connected to your own inner wisdom, love and joy?
I learned I had lived my life conditioned way and that my coping strategies needed to change when four years ago autoimmune disease woke me up.
Why do we have to go through darkness to see the light?
I needed that leverage to make me stop wearing masks that kept me safe but unfulfilled. I redevelop the courage to look inside of myself and really feel what’s there without the need for external validation.
I’m the founder and designer maker behind Victoria von Stein jewellery. I aim to inspire you to feel confident in your authentic self-expression through handcrafted fine jewellery with a soul.”
Want to learn more about Victoria’s journey? Watch a Doer Stories interview HERE.
Tiia Sammallahti - Founder of WhatCharity.com
“After maternity leave I was totally lost what I should do with my career. I had recently moved to the UK and finished my MBA. In a DrivenWoman Lifeworking group everyone was sharing their ideas very openly so I decided to share mine (idea had carried in my heart for over 8 years) and to my surprise I was supported and encouraged, not dismissed. Until now, nobody had taken my idea seriously because it was so BIG.
But this group was different. These women believed that anything was possible if you would keep taking small steps, put your best effort into it and give yourself enough time.
I had to imagine the smallest doable step I could do immediately to take my idea further.
Then one thing lead to another and 18 months later my big idea – a digital platform that brings together people, charities and companies – was fully funded and I launched WhatCharity.com in spring 2018.”
Want to learn more about Tiia’s journey? Read an article on it HERE
Marisa Tschopp - Researcher, Women in AI Ambassador, TEDx speaker
“Family is my first priority. But having a career – a meaningful, fun and fulfilling position, that lets me grow and challenges me on a healthy level is very important for me, too.
After my second child I wanted to return to work but leaving the kids behind for an “ok” job was just not right anymore.
This was where my journey started. I decided to take any steps needed to live a fuller, happier and exciting life and embrace all lessons I needed to learn. DrivenWoman was a catalyst to reinvent myself: a woman, aware of her needs and values, who takes deliberate decisions and is not satisfied with an average life living within her comfort zone. A woman who wants to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, who wants to dream big and achieve her goals – step by step!
I soon found a dream job in research. It was like a domino-effect – as soon as I made the first decision, things started to roll from there, almost magically. If you told me then that I’d be speaking at TEDx Switzerland I wouldn’t have believed you!”
Want to learn more about Marisa’s journey? Watch a ‘Doer Stories’ video HERE.
Helena Halme - Author
“Four years ago I found myself in a managerial job, feeling unfulfilled. I had an MA in Creative Writing under my belt and had been publishing fiction in my free time, but realised I wanted to turn that passion into a way of earning a living.
I joined DrivenWoman and must admit that I couldn’t do what I’m doing today without the encouragement of this wonderful women’s support group. I get monthly inspiration, guidance and a reminder of why I am on my chosen path.
Having published eight fiction books and one non-fiction title, I now have a successful coaching practice. The launch of my latest title, The Christmas Heart, was the best one yet, and I’m working on my next book, The Island Affair. It’s a contemporary romance set in Åland, a group of islands between Finland and Sweden. There’s also a second non-fiction title, How to Write in Another Language, in the making. Things are going really well.
I have my sights sets firmly on the future to become a top-earning indie author as well as to expand my coaching business to include an online course on how to successfully publish and market your book.
I firmly believe none of this would have been possible without the monthly DrivenWoman meetings!”
Birgitte Woehlk - Group HR Director
I have worked for a wonderful company for over 25 years during which time it has grown from a small local setup to a business with global reach from offices in five countries. I was given opportunity upon opportunity over the years and built a career that covered a series of interesting and fulfilling roles.
Having been promoted to a board director role, I wanted to build confidence to have a voice in management meetings. I always found myself put down by our relatively domineering and very patriarchal chairman.
DrivenWoman gave me a setting where at first I found benefit in meeting likeminded and caring women – strangers with whom I found I could be completely open. But then Lifeworking started to have a more profound effect.
DrivenWoman was for me not just about my personal career development and happiness. It opened up a new realisation about how badly suited the old patriarchal structures are to women in the work place. And I’m not just talking about the need for flexible hours!
We have a strong representation of female leaders in our company, and our CEO was struggling to find the right approach with them. I took the opportunity to make this the point where we would part with the old patriarchal structures and introduce a more matriarchal approach.
I explained our CEO that the way to successful leadership would be to understand the following:
1. Women are on average 30% less confident than men
2. Women (mothers) are giving up so much more when they choose to have a career
3. Women work together, support each other and share in each other’s successes
4. All people are emotional – to different degrees, of course, it just manifests itself differently in men and women.
My purpose coming to fruition, we now all have a voice in the meetings, and challenges and issues are solved through contribution from each of the amazing individuals on our management team.
Read Birgitte’s full story here.
Stay tuned for more inspirational stories.