*What sparked your initial interest in the gender leadership gap?
About six years ago, we co-founded an investing platform, Hatch. We knew the gender wealth gap existed, but it became shockingly obvious when we watched almost 200,000 investors sign up, and very few were women. So, we became curious about why women behave so differently when it comes to money because it was clear that the narrative was incorrect.
It’s not because women innately lack confidence or financial literacy. We don’t spend too much, and we are equally good at maths. The issue stems from deeply ingrained structural barriers—we weren’t even allowed credit cards or mortgages on our own until the 1970s!
We got very good at addressing the resulting money myths and challenges through bite-sized behaviour change – turning that mountain into a lot of molehills. We designed a solid formula for taking someone from disengaged with their money into a confident, capable investor.
When we sold Hatch, we knew our mission wasn’t complete. Our careers are the biggest investments many of us ever make, and the workplace is another arena designed by men for men. We hear the same stories about the need to ‘fix’ women to close the gender leadership gap, and they are equally untrue.
Our experience uniquely positions us to address the gender leadership gap at scale, equipping women at every level with the tools and connections to succeed in their careers on their terms.
*What was the inspiration for your company, and how long had you been working on it before launching?
Workplace gender inequality is a $7 trillion dollar-a-year problem. It costs women, organisations and the economy. There’s a lot happening, but it’s taking too long. With estimates still at 132 years to close the gender leadership gap, we took matters into their own stubborn hands!
We spent a year in research mode, launching a free weekly newsletter and podcast. We didn’t spend a cent on promotion. We wanted to test whether women resonated with our articles and weekly actions – and shared them with their friends. Sure enough, every week, we saw a bump in subscribers. We honed and proved our theory that tiny actions lead to big changes.
Then, we launched a month-long pilot programme. We ran nine paid pilots and evolved our offering as many times. We learned what worked and what didn’t, so by the time we launched the Powrsuit Membership Network in March 2024, we had a solid understanding of our unique value proposition. Four months later, we’re racing towards 500 members!
*Can you share with us what a typical day looks like for you?
We’re ruthless prioritisers. 15 to 30-minute blocks of our days are scheduled in our calendars at the beginning of the week, so it’s just a matter of sticking to the slots. While there’s no such thing as typical, Kristen usually starts with a dog walk, and Nat is trying to get better at doing at-home weights. At a glance, our schedules seem overwhelming – it’s a relentless combination of meeting Powrsuiters, iterating our offering, business development, content for our newsletter, podcast, mini-masterclasses, and preparing and delivering online and in-person events and interviews!
We’re both in our forties and committed to enjoying ourselves along the way, so we don’t work crazy hours. We just focus like crazy on making sure we only do what we need to be doing each day.
*Can you share something that may surprise people about what could go on behind the scenes of your work?
It often surprises people that there are just two of us 😉 The other thing is the ‘glam vs reality’ side of things. We’re always in front of the camera or recording podcasts, and it always looks super slick. However, the reality is that we’re on a bed or in a chaotic lounge to make sure sound and setup look more professional than we are!
*Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Nat: Be the person to ask the ‘dumb’ questions. You’re usually not the only one thinking it, and if you are, it’s usually because you’ve spotted an issue or opportunity no one else has seen yet.
Kristen: My mum said; life should be one big adventure, and adventure is as simple as saying ‘yes’ to the unknown.
*Social media
Linkedin: Powrsuit, Kristen, Nat
Insta: Powrsuit
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