It is interesting that, as we have been exploring the intriguing world of modern day Renaissance women for our book, RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full LIves, we have noticed ways in which we are part of a growing zeitgeist.  In the last few years, there have been an increasing number of books, websites, and blogs (not to speak of water cooler talk) about the role of women in the political, sociological, economic and cultural landscape of the 21st century. Books like Lean In and The End of Men: And The Rise of Women have stirred up both conversation and controversy. Lean In – is a call to women to take their place at the table, and to “lean in” with more confidence and commitment to their careers, The End of Men speaks to the shift from an industrial society to an age of information and communication, arguing that women have strengths that better suit them to our times, while men are struggling to adapt.  Books like The Athena Doctrine and films like Femme: Women Healing the World stress the importance of bringing what are considered more “feminine” values into the workplace, and into society in general.   They make the point that the “patriarchal” system has largely failed, and that it is time for women to take a lead in creating a balanced society where the best of male and female traits can move us toward a healthier world.

And there is unrest too in much of the current literature.  The decades old question: Can Women Have it All? – has been brought once again to the forefront with powerful women at the top of their fields challenging this concept.   There is Anne-Marie Slaughter and her provocative article in The Atlantic entitled, “Why Women Still Can’t ‘Have It All.’”  There is Indra K. Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, who, in a recent interview by the Atlantic also agreed that “I don’t think women can have it all,” as she speaks to the constant pull between work and family.   As more than one woman we have interviewed has acknowledged, women have achieved much in the workplace but they are still left with most of the responsibilities of motherhood and family, which has added more stress to their lives.   So, although much has been gained, more re-thinking needs to happen – on both societal and personal levels.

All this seems to indicate a “new revolution,” if you will, is afoot in the women’s movement.  While the first (still ongoing) is about equal rights and opportunities in the workplace, the second is about a more dimensional approach to work and life.   It is an acknowledgement that, in the workplace, women do not have to “be like men” to succeed, but instead can bring the full array of feminine traits to their partnership with men.  In like manner, in the home, women do not have to be the sole care takers, men can and should participate.  We have been living for centuries in a lopsided world.  The rigid lines about what is men’s work versus women’s work, and the primarily male traits that have dominated business and politics need re-evaluation.  Yes, competition is healthy.  But there are times when collaboration is the better choice.  Yes, assertiveness and putting oneself forward is necessary.  But so is listening and empathizing.  Power and money have their place.  But so do understanding how money and power can be used to give back to the world.  And don’t both women and men want to spend quality time with family?  And wouldn’t society benefit from this as well?  In the end, it is all about balance.

Our book, and these other books and articles explore from different vantage points many of these questions.   To us, it is clear we are moving toward a paradigm shift, and that there are exceptional women who have their finger on the pulse of change and are moving us steadily in that direction.

If you don’t equate women with exploring – with going out into wild and remote regions of the world, pushing past both physical and personal boundaries to make new discoveries and face daunting challenges, then you haven’t met Lorie Karnath!

Lorie Karnath, one of the women we are featuring in RenWomen: The Dawn of a New Renaissance Led by Exceptional Women is only the second woman to have held the post of president of the formidable Explorers Club in New York City.  Members of this club have included Sir Edmund Hillary, Theodore Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong, Dian Fossey, and Chuck Yeager to just name a few.
 
For Lorie, exploring is much more than just climbing the mountain “because it’s there.” It is instead about exploring to make a difference.  Each trip she takes has a purpose – whether it be to examine the effects of global changes in Antarctica, conducting field research on flora and fauna in Malaysia, building schools and bringing in supplies to remote regions of Burma or China, or doing paleontological digs in Alberta, Canada.

Five words guide Lorie’s philosophy: Explore, Discover, Share, Preserve, Sustain.  Explorers in her view need to not only go out and explore, but make important discoveries that help advance science and broaden our knowledge base.  They need to then share those discoveries with the community, with businesses and with governments.  And ultimately they need to help us understand how to preserve and sustain the things that are essential to our lives.   As she explained in an interview with National Geographic in 2011, "Exploration must be focused on learning and bringing back - and adding to our overall body of knowledge."
 
Beyond this unique and challenging career, Lorie Karnath is accomplished in many other fields.  As a writer, she has penned a number of nonfiction books exploring science, creativity, and the arts (including her latest on architecture in Burma); as well as  countless articles and blogs for publications like the Huffington Post.  She is an active education advocate, and is involved in initiatives to foster education, especially science education.  As she told me: "I strongly feel that you can't survive in this world without scientific knowledge… You need an understanding for your day-to-day life in terms of medical decisions, technical decisions and lifestyle decisions."

She has expanded this need to educate the world about science into helping to organize high level global symposia - often through a group she helped found called Molecular Frontiers Foundation.  These symposia  have featured leading scientists and Nobel laureates discussing cutting edge scientific topics like the brain, emerging technologies in bio-medicine, and alternative energy.

And interestingly, Lorie started out in the world of finance!  She has an MBA degree and she worked as an international investment banker, during which she helped launch a number of start-up companies, particularly in bio-tech and new technologies.  She explains, in typical RenWoman fashion, how that first career helped enormously in the career paths she pursued later: "My background in finance helped provide a very important tool to help companies, individuals, and ideas along the way." 

Lorie Karnath, like the other RenWomen we are proud to feature in our book, is a great example of a woman to whom the word "limits" is meaningless, and whose thirst for adventure, discovery, and knowledge is boundless.

Find books by Lorie Karnath at http://www.amazon.com/Lorie-Karnath/e/B0045B3XCW.  For information about Molecular Frontiers Foundation, go to: http://www.molecularfrontiers.org/symposia

This week I'd like to talk about someone who isn't a RenWoman, who isn't in fact a woman at all.  It is Emmanuel Itier, a documentary filmmaker who made an extraordinary film about women. The film, called  Femme: Women Healing the World is about the power of the feminine to transform the world.  Through interviews with over 100 women from all walks of life, and from across the globe, it ambitiously tackles a myriad of contemporary problems and issues, challenging us to consider their sources and offering up solutions - all seen through a feminine perspective.   Executive produced and starring Sharon Stone, Femme also features ground breakers like feminist Gloria Steinem, futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire; Hollywood luminaries like Mira Nair and Maria Conchita Alonso;  and movers and shakers like (our own RenWoman) designer/businesswoman Barbara Lazaroff, and spiritual leader/politician Marianne Williamson. 

Femme has resonated with many and in fact, to date, has screened at over thirty film festivals and conferences / symposia, and has garnered multiple awards, including two humanitarian awards (Lady Filmmakers Fest & IFQ Film Festival); best documentary and audience awards (IFQ FF); Best Spiritual Film (The Conscious Life Expo) and a My Hero Award for Sharon Stone (My Hero Film Festival).