HAYVN Founder Felicia Rubinstein is a true trailblazer, beginning her career as an engineer at GE and Apple before “Women in STEM” was a movement. She thrived at the Fortune 500 companies, working there for more than a decade. When she wanted a flexible work schedule after her first son was born, she asked Apple for it—and got it—pioneering one of the company’s first-ever job share programs. Eventually she left to start her own business and forge a new path: engineering a better way to work at HAYVN, an amazing co-working space in Connecticut.
In this episode of The Woman of Value Podcast:
– Why it’s important to follow your dreams and take action
– How Felicia created HAYVN, a co-working space primarily for women
– Why you need a strong support system and how to create it
– A whole new definition of leadership
– Empowering others to shine
And so much more!
S2 EP 11: Felicia Rubinstein – Engineering a Better Way to Work
What is a woman of value to you?
“My grandmother was known as ‘woman of valor’, which is someone who’s very strong. What does woman of value mean to me? Every woman has special value. It’s a matter of nurturing it to have it pop out.”
Aha moment of claiming her value
Obstacles created her path. No matter what career she’s had, she has loved encountering problems and trying to find a solution. “If I had known the word ‘entrepreneur when I was six-years-old, that’s what I would have been.” [6:00] Listen to Felicia’s career path, and how she went from being an engineer to creating a co-working space for women today.
Following breadcrumbs and intuition to find her current career
She doesn’t just accept the status quo. She tries to solve problems and intuits her own path. What sets her apart is she takes emotional risks and follows through on her ideas until they become a business.
The steps Felicia took to launch her new business, HAYVN
One day on a walk, she was listening to the podcast called, How I Built This. On it, the founder of We Work was being interviewed and Felicia had an ah-ha moment. “I realized that I wanted to do the same thing, but for women and in my local community.” The culmination of her career with software support and marketing for female founders made her the perfect person to start a communal working space.
Leadership, Felicia style
She’s a quiet leader who empowers others to shine. She listens and respects, and she is grateful for input. My favorite kind of leader!
What Felicia is creating at HAYVN now
They have a pitch night, HAYVN Hatch, which is like Shark Tank, to help women founders get financing. It’s difficult for women to get financing. Women are intimidated to talk about finances. Only 4% of women businesses get financing. She hopes to be a part of change in this area.
The future for Felicia
More HAYVN co-working spaces, and traveling the world!
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