Q: How do you get the word out about Woodhull?
A: We’re a 501(c)(3). We put our work into programming as opposed to marketing…Retreats have an application process and you need to be recommended…We ask that somewhere along the line they’ve [applicants] shown leadership potential…She can be anyone from a stay-at-home mom who is active in her community to someone who wants to run for president…Often people recommend others after they’ve come to the retreats.
Q: Can you tell me about some success stories?
A: One woman was a finance major, graduated from college, and worked at a large brokerage house in NY. Although she was extremely accomplished with an MBA, she was miserable [at her job]. She came to a retreat and talked about how she wanted to help women [with their finances]…She became a certified financial planner, founded her own company, and today she gives seminars to women on how to deal with finances.
Another is a first generation immigrant who works in the Civil service. She was a single mom and not comfortable with what was happening in her organization. Her culture taught her to be demure, take a backseat…After the retreat, she wound up becoming a union rep. She negotiated a great new contract…She’s now going to raise her daughter to believe that she can fulfill her dreams…
We teach how to write Op-Eds…We had a chemist come to the retreat. It was the weekend when Lawrence Summers [former President of Harvard University] made the comment about women in science. She was very upset about it. Everyone said, “You’ve got to write an Op-Ed about it.” She did not think she could. “But you’re a scientist!” we said…Eventually the article was published in a paper in New Jersey and was picked up by two other papers…Only about 20% of Op-Eds are written by women…Of all the newspapers, women are not submitting. Women don’t think they’re experts or are not willing to put themselves out there…If you talk to any Op-Ed editor, they’re always looking for women and especially women of color…Your opinion, when done well, can have a great impact on policy and people…Women don’t seek it out and they don’t see themselves as having a voice. But they do!
