Last month, the third annual Conscious Company World-Changing Women’s Summit was held in Sonoma, CA. As Crowdfund Mainstreet co-founders, both Jenny Kassan and I were honored to each be named to the list of 43 World-Changing Women in Conscious Business for 2020.

The summit was attended by 250 female/women-identifying founders, CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs involved with conscious businesses. The event focused on authentic conversations around two prominent themes: 1) listening to and trusting your instinctual wisdom as a woman and business leader, and 2) understanding, challenging, and overcoming the complexities of racism in business and beyond—both issues that are increasingly important as we challenge the status quo and take the concept of conscious business and conscious leadership to new heights. 

Confidence is an outcome of taking action, not a prerequisite for it.

The need for more women in business leadership is undeniable. Research and logic have long confirmed the fact that women have much to contribute to our companies and communities, but it can be daunting to fight the stereotypes and the patriarchy along the way to becoming the change we want to see in the world. Storied women leaders such as Missy Park of Title Nine, Tami Simon of Sound True, Cheryl Contee of Do Big Things, and Jane Wurwand of Dermalogica were in attendance and shared their experiences on finding their leadership styles and successfully growing their companies.  

Each of these women came to leadership in their own way, but all learned to listen to and trust their unique voices. All seemed to have an early grasp of the fact that confidence is an outcome of taking action, not a prerequisite for it. The message was clear—if you wait around until you have the confidence to make the changes that need to be made, you will surely perish in inertia. We cannot afford the loss of so many voices. A better way, as Jane Wurwand of Demalogia says, is to accept the fact that “You don’t know how to do something until the first time you do it. You didn’t come out as a baby knowing how to make a casserole—but you figured it out!” There is a freedom to fail forward and innovate when you adopt a beginner’s mindset. We will get to equality and inclusivity a lot faster if we learn to consistently leap before we feel truly ready.

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