DISCOVERING NEW RENWOMEN:
Linda Di Fiore

As I've been talking to people about our book, RenWomen, I have met a number of women who are clearly RenWomen themselves. One such woman is the extraordinary Linda Di Fiore.

Dr. Linda Di Fiore (Doctorate in Musical Arts) has a long history of throwing herself into new opportunities and successfully discovering and developing new passions. While the majority of her work has occurred within the realms of music and academia, Linda clearly has what I call a "RenWoman state of mind."  She follows her curiosity wherever it leads, and she develops diversified skillsets that ultimately make her invaluable in the various professions she pursues.  She understands on a deep level that there is not just one path to a goal, but multiple complementary avenues that enrich the pursuit and realization of that goal.

Linda is both a prominent classical and musical theatre voice performer (mezzo soprano), and an inspired and influential professor. For over forty years, she has performed professionally as a soloist in opera, oratorio, recital, and musical theatre. Her career has included guest performances with such groups as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Bach Aria Festival in New York City, Orlando Opera, just to name a few.  As a song recitalist she has performed internationally in such countries as Austria, Italy, Canada, and Puerto Rico; and nationally in numerous cities throughout the U.S. Additionally, she has toured England and Scotland as an oratorio soloist.

Academically, Linda's career is no less illustrious. Currently serving on the faculty of the University of California at Santa Barbara as Adjunct Professor and as Area Head of Voice, she recently retired from the College of Music of the University of North Texas where she was a Regents Professor of Voice, and where she received the Citation for Distinguished Service to International Education and the President's Council Teaching Award. Prior to that, she was a Professor of Voice at the University of Florida, where she twice received the Teacher of the Year Award for the College of Fine Arts as well as a Teaching Incentive Program Award from the Florida Board of Regents.  She has also presented master classes throughout the country and internationally, as well as taught in summer programs in Venice, Casalmaggiore, and Innsbruck.  She currently serves on the faculties of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and the Amalfi Coast Music Festival. In 2005, Dr. Di Fiore served as a Visiting Professor of Voice at the distinguished Eastman School of Music.  Since 2004, she has held the distinction of Master Teacher in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, a lifelong designation.
 
Linda was lucky to grow up in a family where the children were encouraged to think for themselves and to pursue whatever spoke to their hearts.
"Mine was a very enlightened, highly educated family . . ." she tells me. "There was always lively discourse around the dinner table, heated sometimes, but fascinating. And we were always asked our opinions.” Her parents encouraged the arts and hard work. Her father was a psychologist who loved musical theater, and showed Linda unconditional love. Her mother an educator with a master's who loved classical music, and was less affectionate, but instilled drive and determination in Linda. "The balance between those two was very important," she explains. Linda had a natural talent for music; she could hear a song played on the piano and be able to reproduce it before she even knew how to read music. She began developing her natural ear by taking piano lessons and singing in the choir.  She also studied Latin and Spanish in high school. (Foreign languages would be a passion she would pursue all her life, eventually learning six languages!)
 
Interestingly, Linda's first academic interest in college was mathematics, but she switched to music theory in her sophomore year. Of course, as many know, there is a direct connection between mathematical and musical skills — especially when it comes to theory. But this is also an illustration of a frequent Ren trait: that of a balance between right and left brain skills - a trait that would serve her well in the years to come.
 
Linda got a full ride for graduate school and a teaching fellowship at the University of Iowa, where she completed her first master’s degree, in music theory. While at Iowa, the head of the music department encouraged students pursuing careers in academia to broaden their educations instead of staying singularly focused, because of the impending cutbacks. When Linda moved to Wichita with her husband at the time, she followed that advice and applied to get another master’s, in voice, at Wichita State University. The Dean of the School of Music so recognized her gifted abilities that he first turned her down for being overqualified. Linda would not take no for an answer. She convinced the Dean that not only did she have room to grow, but she also had a genuine love of learning that should not be discouraged. Her Ren attitude—insatiable curiosity, trust in her abilities, and the courage to take risks—helped her to demand the opportunity that she deserved.
 
In Wichita, with encouragement from colleagues, Linda found herself auditioning for Music Theatre Wichita, a program that performs 6 musicals and operettas in a venue for 3,000 patrons every summer. As she had only ever performed in choirs, her immediate response to the opportunity was, “I’m not qualified…I’ve never done it," But in typical RenWoman fashion her next thought was "Okay, I’ll go for it!” She ended up performing in five musicals that summer and was additionally cast in a role every single semester she was at Wichita State. It was during her time at Wichita that Linda became particularly enamored with opera and the theatre. 
 
After finishing her second master’s in voice at Wichita, a job opened up at Bemidji State University in Northern State Minnesota, and the plentiful skills she had collected found their perfect fit. Bemidji needed someone to teach voice and theory, and to direct the choir. Linda had the rare combination of a master’s in voice, a master’s in theory, experience teaching both (she had held teaching assistant jobs during both sets of graduate studies) and experience directing a choir (at Wichita, she had directed a choir during her teaching assistant internship). As Linda says, “It was like this glove, so it was a great first job. And it was because I was a generalist, not a specialist, that I got that first job.”
 
Linda stretched once again when she decided to get her doctorate of musical arts (DMA) in voice at the University of Minnesota. This, interestingly, led her into a new path of specialization. When, Linda applied to teach voice at the University of Florida (along with 250 applicants,) she looked over her experience, and thought "I’ve taught vocal literature, opera literature, I was in the choirs, I was opera producer so I had opera experience. I had taught French diction, German diction, and Italian diction. Then in addition I had taught music theory and I had taught composition and counterpoint.  But I told them, 'I have been a generalist but now, with my doctorate, I've become a specialist.'  I knew it was a specialist they needed." She got the job.
​
After 14 years at the University of Florida, she moved on to become the youngest faculty member in the Division of Vocal Studies at the esteemed University of North Texas where she taught many of the best students in the country for 18 years. Her students went on to achieve great things, including acceptance into the most prestigious summer and young artists' programs in the U.S., winning or placing in numerous national competitions, and singing roles in the major opera houses of the US and Europe. She is deeply proud of this teaching legacy.
 
As gratifying as this all was, Linda found herself in search of growth again. As she put it: "It was a chapter. There have been chapters in my life and once I've done everything I want to do there, I start to get restless." This led her to her current position at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, she has spread wings again.  She does administrative work for Westmont Academy of Vocal Excellence, teaches and sits on the Education Board of Opera Santa Barbara, and served for two years on the Women's Board of the Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara. She is involved with Music Academy of the West, which includes having singers in the program, hosting faculty, and finding ways to collaborate between UCSB and MAW —  all of which are supported by Scott Reed and Marilyn Horne. "All these doors have just opened up in Santa Barbara, things I never had time to do at North Texas because I was so singly focused. So, I started as a generalist and then became more specialized and now I’m back to a smaller program where I can put my finger in these different pies and it’s so much fun.”
 
If all of this weren’t enough, throughout her career journey, Linda has pursued numerous "extra curriculars." She continued to take piano lessons and language classes, she organized opera galas for fundraising purposes, she served on an international studies committee to build a study abroad program — oh, and... she raised a daughter!

Linda’s broad education and work experience have opened up opportunity after opportunity for her, and each new job has not only built her résumé but has also grown her learning. Her unique combination of raw talent, determination to continue achieving academically, and courage to say YES to things that might be uncomfortable at first, have led her to passions and areas of expertise that she might not have discovered if she had limited herself to one thing.
 
She describes her approach to life in the following way: “I can try anything, I can learn anything. In whatever job I've held I have wanted to be the best I can be and I've wanted to push myself as far as I can go." This is quintessential RenWoman thinking.  I was privileged to spend time interviewing this highly accomplished and multifaceted woman.
 
 

​We are living at a time when change is happening at exponential rates and adaptability and the capacity to handle an increasing array of input are essential. This is why having a Renaissance approach to life is invaluable. In the Harvard Business Review article “In Defense of Polymaths,” Kyle Wiens argues, “The problem with deep specialization is that specialists tend to get stuck in their own points of view. They’ve been taught to focus so narrowly that they can’t look at a problem from different angles. And in the modern workscape we desperately need people with the ability to see big picture solutions.” Popular blogger Tim Ferris writes in his blog post “The Top Five Reasons to be a Jack of All Trades,” “Was Steve Jobs a better programmer than top coders at Apple? No, but he had a broad range of skills and saw the unseen interconnectedness. As technology becomes a commodity with the democratization of information, it’s the big-picture generalists who will predict, innovate, and rise to power fastest.”

​It is also important to be able to manage the stresses of a shifting landscape. Interestingly, when it comes to stress, new research shows that men and women do not respond in the same way. Most people are well aware of the adrenaline-triggered “fight or flight” response to extreme stress. But according to UCLA social psychologist Shelley Taylor, who wrote an influential article (and later a book) on how women respond to stress, women do not go into fight or flight mode, instead they respond with a “tend or befriend” reaction. This leads a woman to try and talk her way out of a stressful situation, or try to understand her opponent, thus potentially diffusing the threat. Taylor argues there are biological and evolutionary reasons for this difference, related to the care of offspring, and the seeking of social support. According to Dario Maestripieri PhD, in his article for Psychology Today, “Gender Differences in Responses to Stress: It Boils Down to a Single Gene” there may even be a genetic marker that mediates the response.

Linked also to this theory are recent studies on how men and women make decisions when under stress. According to a research article published in the journal PLoS One, the higher the stress, the more risk-taking men become, whereas under intense stress, women become more risk averse. It is important to note that neither response is necessarily superior to the other. Under certain circumstances, more risk taking can lead to greater rewards, but under other circumstances, it can lead to a potentially dangerous lack of caution. These studies show how important it is to have a balance of men and women in key decision-making positions.

We are also living in a time of enormous conflict and turmoil throughout the world. Many have begun to question the patriarchal values that have brought us to this point, and to wonder whether feminine values could offer us new and better options. As John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio say in the introduction to their book The Athena Doctrine (in reference to their previous book, Spend Thrift), “Most of the traits exhibited by the successful entrepreneurs, leaders, organizers and creators we profiled seem to come from aspects of human nature that are widely regarded as feminine.” This is what motivated the research that led to The Athena Doctrine which argues for the global need for the implementation of more female values.

There is an interesting, rather amusing story that illustrates these female values in action. When the U.S. government shut down for 16 days in 2014, while the men were saber-rattling and blaming their colleagues across the aisle, two women senators, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Kelly Ayotte, decided to host a little pizza party for women senators from both parties to try to figure out how to resolve the situation. It was through their leadership that a compromise was finally arrived at. Senator John McCain acknowledged, “It was the women’s leadership that brought critical mass of Republicans and Democrats together. Senator Mark Pryor stated, “Women in the Senate is a good thing. You see leadership. We’re just glad they allowed us to tag along to see how it’s done.” Although this was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek statement, there was clear admiration in it for how the women had succeeded in doing something the men couldn’t. The feminine value of cooperation saved the day. Masculine values, of course, have their place. But it makes for a lopsided world when only one set of values prevails, and so the more women who share in leadership positions in society, the more balanced a world we will have. 

Posted by Dale Griffiths Stamos

Hello Friends,

Well, it has been radio silence for quite a while, in terms of posting new RenWomen blogs.  But I assure you I had an excellent excuse:  I was concentrating on writing, rewriting, and polishing the book!  I am happy to announce that RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Fulfilling Lives is now finished and ready to go to press!  Yay!

I am SO proud of the women we profile in this book!  They come from all different careers and walks of life. There are: actress, poet, and linguist, Hélène Cardona; professional explorer, writer and symposium leader, Lorie Karnath; and restaurateur, designer, and philanthropist Barbara Lazaroff. There are those who turned tragedy or misfortune into triumphs like Kathy Eldon whose 22- year-old son was killed in Somalia; and Eva Haller, who barely escaped being killed by fascist forces during World War II. The youngest of our RenWomen, Alexandra Franzen, is an online entrepreneur, coach and writer; the oldest is eminent thought leader and former CEO of Girl Scouts of America, Frances Hesselbein. There is Lydia Kennard who led Los Angeles Airports through the 9/11 crisis; and Bosnian native, Marinela Gombosev, who came to America to build an expansive new life. There is former opera singer turned producer, Dale Franzen; therapist, professor, and photographer, Lita Rawdin Singer; and twin sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim, who work at the intersection of math, art, environmentalism, and women's crafts. And there are the three founders of The MYHERO Project, the multiply-capable Jeanne Meyers, Rita Stern Milch, and Karen Pritzker. Each RenWoman has forged her own path, learning lessons along the way. These lessons are evident in both their lives and their words, and form the bedrock of this book. 

I will continue in these blogs, to talk about our RenWomen, what living the Renaissance life is all about, and how you too can channel your inner RenWoman!

Posted by Dale Griffiths Stamos

Are you interested in becoming a RenWoman? (Or a Renaissance Man?)  Well, to guide the way, here are ten keys to the Renaissance life gleaned from interviews with our amazing RenWomen!

1. Profit from Education

Education means everything from studies, to travel, to learning to use Photoshop, to tackling a foreign language.  Keep exploring, and following your curiosity and interests wherever they lead.  Learning is an ongoing process!

2. Pursue a Limitless Life

Yes, of course, we all deal with limits.  But so many of us self-impose those limits or listen to limits placed on us by others, and therefore don't even try.  Limits should be something you challenge, push, and more often than not overcome!  

3. Trust in Your Passions

You have a passion for painting?  Do it!  Find every art class you can, create a studio in an unused room, go to lots of galleries.  You would love to speak three languages?  Who's stopping you? Take that course, find that conversation group, go to that foreign country for a month of immersion.  Even if you don't have a lot of time, spending 10 minutes a day on a passion will get you ever closer and will simply make you feel happier!

4. Learn to Listen

Listen to others who are experts in something you want to master, listen to mentors colleagues, and teachers.  But most importantly, listen to yourself.  Learn to take the time to slow down enough to listen to the quiet voice of guidance within.

5. Be Grateful for Failure

It is the best learning tool for pointing you in the direction of success.  To try and then to fail is not an end, it is a step on the path to honing and developing your life goals.  Celebrate the failures as much as the successes.

6. Believe in the Ever Evolving Brain

Modern neurobiology has shown that we are constantly growing new brain cells. These cells emerge out of activities that challenge and push us past our comfort zones.  Constantly growing and learning new things not only enriches your life, but enriches your brain, helping you to continue a full life into old age.

7. Appreciate Your Relationships. 

So many of our RenWomen talk about the support systems in their lives.  The spouses, parents, friends, mentors and bosses that have helped them along the way.  Look at your own support system - cherish and value it.  Let those people in your life know how much they matter to you.

8.  Take Risks.

It can be scary, yes.  But stepping out into the unknown, pushing past the fear, doing something no one else has tried, or taking a chance on a life long dream, this is often the only  way to expand personally and professionally and achieve in multiple arenas.

9.  Balance Your Head and Your Heart

Couple intellect with passion, pragmatism with inspiration, organized action plans with expansive dreaming.  You must look to your heart for what excites, thrills and empowers you.  Then look to your head for how best to plan and execute those things.

10.  Remember It's Not Just About You

All of our RenWomen have achieved remarkable things.  But each, also, is motivated by a desire to help others.  They look to share their knowledge, to inspire people to live full lives, to right wrongs, to shine spotlights on injustice or inequities, and to generally move through each day with compassion.  These women know a very important truth about this world:  We are all in it together.

Posted by Dale Griffiths Stamos

Renaissance Women, like Renaissance Men, are driven by a sort of inner compass to push ever outward, to swallow life whole, to challenge themselves to gain mastery in many things because all of those things inspire them.  These are the women who learn five languages for the sheer fun of it, read books on philosophy because it intrigues them, start their own businesses, then branch into speaking and writing, and love to rock climb too.  This is not because they feel compelled to prove themselves in a man’s world, on the contrary,  it is their need to be all that they are, to not feel bound by the limits imposed by their education or by society, that drive them.

How does a RenWoman differ from a Renaissance man?  First of all, there are many ways in which the two are exactly alike.  As one would define a Renaissance man as someone who has expressed expertise in a number of areas, so would this apply to a Renaissance woman.  The book Beyond Genius (W.Scott Griffiths & Eric Elfman) defines many of the traits of Renaissance men, such as creativity, passion, persistence, curiosity, challenging the status quo and the courage to take risks, and these certainly pertain to RenWomen, as well.  But there are differences sometimes in the way women manifest the "Ren" traits and there are additional traits that RenWomen often bring to the table.

For a RenWoman, in the past, for example, having the courage to take risks, might be more about risking one’s reputation, or allowing oneself to be scorned or marginalized for choices that run counter to the strictures of society.  Being creative might be indeed be writing or painting, but it might also be creating a salon where intellectuals gather, or creating a new way of thinking about the rights of women.  Expertise in many arenas will, more often than not, include motherhood and managing a household as two of those numerous arenas.

Although certainly modern RenWomen have less societal barriers in their path, they still often manifest the traits in more female-centric ways.   And certainly they bring their female values to bear in the expression of their Renaissance-ness.  So traits such as compassion, communication, flexibility, collaboration, and the importance of family are vital traits that RenWomen bring to their impact on the workplace and the world.

Can we all be Renaissance Women (or Renaissance Men?)  Probably not.  But we can learn from them, understand how they have achieved what they have, and be inspired by their stories in a way that can help us remove arbitrary limits in our lives. 

And for those who aspire to be RenWomen?  Carry on!  And let the women we feature in RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full Lives be a powerful inspiration and guide!

To walk into the home of Barbara Lazaroff is like walking into a wonderland.  Vibrant colors abound, modern works of art adorn every surface.  Each object, from the individually created picture frames that elbow each other for room on the Yamaha baby grand, to the six-foot high aardvark/zebra sculpture that dominates part of the living room, has been chosen with the ultimate care.  This proliferation of wonders is a perfect metaphor for the woman herself.  A compelling presence, she is long limbed and graceful, her raven hair spilling over her shoulders and her brown eyes arched by expressive eyebrows.  Her voice, calm and authoritative rumbles with just the slightest hint of the Eastern shore from which she originally hails. 

Barbara Lazaroff is most famously known for her partnership with her former husband, Wolfgang Punk, for whom she designed all their renowned current and former restaurants.  These include the Asian-infused Chinois, the marine-inspired Granita, and the iconic Spago, among many others.  In her designs Lazaroff introduced many innovations such as the exhibition kitchen, the organic flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, and walls filled with the work of contemporary artists.  These elements are now so much a part of the restaurant zeitgeist as to be ubiquitous.

Although many people may not realize this, Barbara is not just about design.  She is the power behind the brand that is Wolgang Puck.  Her vision was of a dining experience that began well before the food was ever placed before the patron.  As she puts it, “You dine with your eyes first.” Her insights were inspired as much by psychology as by aesthetics.  She knew that people have visceral reactions to colors, light, and textures, and that they love being swept away by welcoming spaces rich in fantasy and imagination. 

Barbara also knew, early on, how to combine artistic inspiration with business savvy, co-operating with her husband not only the fine-dining venues, but expansions into such areas as catering, retail food lines, Wolfgang Puck Cafes, and Wolfgang Puck Expresses which dot countless shopping malls and airports throughout the country. 

Barbara’s interests and abilities have always been far ranging.  She studied dance and theatre in college, paying her own way by holding down three jobs, two of which were working in a blood gas analysis lab, and at a hospital.  This led her into an interest in pre-med which she pursued for a number of years before deciding to follow a different path.  "I had a broad spectrum of experiences,” Barbara says, “And I think that’s what a lot of kids don’t get now, in that they don’t know what they want to do necessarily, and they don’t get to try out different things.”  

In the day to day operation of the Wolfgang Puck empire, Barbara also wore many hats.  “I was doing many different things,” she says.  “I was dealing with contracts, I was writing business presentations, I was on the real estate committee, at one point I was even working on the writing of the menus!  Later I headed up the design and architecture wing of the food company.  Oh, and I was having babies too!”  

While running restaurants and raising two sons, Barbara also become an avid philanthropist and fundraiser for such organizations as Meals on Wheels, The American Cancer Society, The Children’s Museum, The Israel Cancer Research Fund, Aids Project LA, and Project Angel Food, just to cite a partial list.  

As a writer, Barbara has contributed a number of blogs to HuffPost, as well as co-authoring (with Tricia LaVoice) the book, Wishes For a Mother's Heart.  She was a co-producer and interviewee on the film: Femme: Women Healing the World.  And she currently hosts a podcast called Exuberant Living with Barbara Lazaroff.  

We are proud to feature Barbara Lazaroff as one of our amazing women in RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full Lives.

Posted by Dale Griffiths Stamos

The idea for RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full Lives emerged out of a book that W. Scott Griffiths and his co-author Eric Elfman wrote about modern-day Renaissance men entitled: Beyond Genius: The 12 Essential Traits of Today’s Renaissance Men.

It made the case that modern Renaissance men, as well as Renaissance men through the ages, share a certain set of traits.  It is these traits in combination that make these men as remarkable as they are.  What are these traits?  Well,  a Renaissance Man:

•   Is outstanding in his field and exceptional in many areas.
  
•   Is insatiably curious
  
•   Embraces culture
  
•   Merges his left and right brain
  
•   Delights in sharing what he does
  
•   Has the courage to take risks
  
•   Creates
  
•   Perseveres
  
•   Is passionate
  
•   Has vision
  
•   Challenges the status quo
  
•   Shapes the future

In conducting the research and surveys for the book,  the authors, out of curiosity, asked whether Renaissance-style women shared the same traits.  The answer was a uniform “yes.”

During work on Beyond Genius, and after, Scott and Eric were often asked the question: What about the Women?  Aren’t there modern day Renaissance women? Were there Renaissance women in the past?  When first faced with the question, Scott googled the words “Renaissance woman” and was surprised to find listings that were predominantly women who lived during the Renaissance and a few scattered modern women who were touted as Renaissance women.

This seemed wrong.  There were, no doubt, many modern women every bit as multi-talented and groundbreaking as the men featured in Beyond Genius.   And there must have also been Renaissance-style women throughout history, despite societal pressures and patriarchal systems.

And, he wondered, do these women manifest their Renaissance-ness in the same way as the men do?   What can we learn from these extraordinary women? 

The idea for a new book began to take hold.  Scott immediately brought me, Dale, in as co-author.  I am a professional writer and had served as editor on Beyond Genius.  Additionally he felt, as twin sister and brother, we would bring a unique perspective to the subject matter.   So began the search for and the interviewing of women from all walks of life who were living inspiring Renaissance lives.  And as the interviews progressed, it became more and more apparent that these women knew things.  Not just the many skills and careers they had mastered, but things about life, about happiness, about helping the planet we all live on evolve.  Things that mattered, not just for themselves, but for the world.  And that’s when we realized: These are not just Renaissance women, but Renaissance makers.  They are heralding in a modern Renaissance, a paradigm shift  in our social, cultural and intellectual landscape.  There are of course men who are also part of this growing tide, as well as  women who do not live Renaissance lives, per se.  But we have been particularly struck by the expansive and distinctive perspectives of these women whom we call “RenWomen” (why use a term borrowed from the men?) and this book is an exploration and celebration of what these women have to teach not just other women, but everyone.

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).