Celebrating International Women's Day

Today is International Women’s Day and 2022's theme is Break the Bias. From the International Women’s Day website let’s:

Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

I have met some remarkable women over the years, especially when it comes to my blog interviews. Today I wanted to highlight some of them because in my eyes they are shining a light and making an impact on people and in the community. Most of these women are people who I’ve worked with, some are friends, and I’ve seen first hand the work they are doing and the positive influence they’ve had in my life.

Kristen Cronyn from Meet and Eat Charcuterie - Kristen is all about community and collaboration. She’s always there to connect with other businesses and celebrate others through her work and I admire that about her. It’s not about competition but about building each other up and being each others cheerleader.

Amanda, Colleen and Rachel from Revolution Buffalo - These women have always been about creating a positive community through their studio since the day they opened their doors. A place where everyone is welcomed and seen equal and I admire the positive atmosphere they continue to create and the work they do to give back to their community.

Kate from Hope Rises - In a world where there is so much negativity, Kate finds the good and shares those stories that offer hope. That is one thing we all need a little more of right now.

Catie, Sarah and Zhi from Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy - These three women are creative, kind and care about the community they live in and they show that through the work they do for our Buffalo Parks. In my opinion without this amazing development team our Buffalo Parks would be as enjoyable to park users. They help raise the funds needed to keep the parks clean and safe throughout the year.

Melissa from Winkler + Samuels - Not only can she recommend a great bottle of red (or white) she offers fun classes for customers to learn more about the wine they drink, the region its from and the local winemakers that make it. Some of her classes also benefit local charities which is another win in my book.

Kate and Dusty from WNYMMA - I don’t know much about WNYMMA or these two women but they offer free self-defense classes for women on Sunday’s at 11am (I took a class a couple weeks back). This community is strong and kind and I love that there is a business in WNY that takes pride in wanting to help teach women to defend themselves if they ever needed to.

Jess Kelly - Jess is a native Western New Yorker who travels around the country and shares her experiences on her social platforms and with national publications. Not only is Jess a caring and kind human, she reminds me to live life in the moment and to enjoy the world, to take risks and have some fun.

Carrie from Rusterior and Buffalo Boss Babes - Carrie is not only a local business owner but she created Buffalo Boss Babes, a women run blog and social media feed that features talented women in the WNY community. She hosts fun, laid-back networking events that are meant to empower creative women who are helping to build Buffalo.

Dionne from UPward Design for Life - she founded this organization to “restore hope by transforming empty spaces into homes.” By volunteering I have seen the work Dionne does by taking an empty space and turning it into a home and changing peoples lives for the better. If I had an ounce of her talents and energy I would be a better person. We can all learn something from Dionne through her hard work, passion and drive, it motivates me to not give up on my dreams.

Mandy from Big Big Table - I haven’t met Mandy but she is the founder and chef of this new community café where everyone can enjoy a good meal and not have to worry if they can afford it or not. The idea is all are welcome, everybody gives and everyone matters.


Women Who Move Buffalo - Shawna Stanley

DON’T LET YOURSELF FEEL SMALL
— Shawna Stanley

On this International Women’s Day, that quote above says it all, don’t allow yourself or anyone else to make you feel small.

photo credit - @David_Jaan

photo credit - @David_Jaan

On a Saturday morning at Five Points Bakery I sat down with Shawna Stanley, a photographer (specializing in Birth Photography, Shawna & Co.) and entrepreneur, building The Vanguard House - a co-working community & social club for the modern woman, right here in Buffalo. I was introduced to Shawna through Carrie Rinehart, owner of Rusterior and creator of Buffalo Boss Babes. Meeting Shawna when I did, comes at a time in my life when I need to surround myself with inspiration and positive people. She reminded me that the current situations I am faced with professionally should not have the power to dictate how I feel, make me feel little or make me second guess my talents, hard work and integrity.

From Southern California, Shawna moved to Buffalo with her children to live with her Mother (who is originally from Buffalo and moved back) during a difficult time in her life, looking for extra support. Once being here, Shawna was drawn to the east coast - the people here - it’s a sense of community and she loves the culture of Buffalo.

So you may be asking yourself what is The Vanguard House? What is the idea/concept behind it?

The Vanguard House is a community space here in Buffalo offering support and possibilities to the modern day working woman. Woman will be able to go here and feel empowered and be productive.

Why did Shawna start this?

Because she moved to Buffalo with her kids in tow, 5 boxes and no income. It was through her diligence in connecting with people in the photography business that she realized there needed to be a place to work - a space that would offer child care opportunities, a place to work and a place to connect. She began by doing her research, visiting other cities (like NYC), sending out surveys (which you can find here) and building great connections.

So where did the name come from?

Her and her fiancee have talked about opening a community garage and using Vanguard, which means a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas. Since the community garage didn’t happen yet, she took the name of it. The Vanguard House is supposed to feel like a second home to women.

What is Shawna’s favorite thing about Buffalo?

Buffalo gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to put there dreams and ideas to work. They go a long way here.

What are the next steps for both The Vanguard House and Shawna & Co.?

In regards to Shawna’s photography business focusing and dialing in more on family and birth photography are more her passion. As Shawna’s vision for the The Vanguard House continues to grow and her dreams and ideas turn into reality you can follow The Vanguard House on Facebook .

The Vanguard House is about women connecting with themselves. Going through this process has showed her how evident it is that women need this space .

Her favorite quote?

“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.” - Fabienne Fredrickson

What motivates her to keep going?

Shawna is thankful to have a tight knit group of people to give her pep talks, keep her going, push her and remind her on those tough days to not give up.

Shawna’s favorite women to follow on social media?

  • Katie Campofelice (partner and friend in The Vanguard House)

  • Mover and Shaker - Miki Agrawal - she started following her through Instagram and connected with her through an online book club.

  • Laurel Flynn - an intuitive coach who helped Shawna push her vision to a more scalable vision

Other local groups that have helped Shawna along the way - Block Club who helped with the branding and a lot of different processes, Small Business Development Center, The Women’s Business Center at Canisius, NAWBO and some private consultants in the business realm.

For more information on The Vanguard House subscribe to the mailing list on their site.

And remember “Hold Fast to Your Dream”

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photo cred - Shawna & Co