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Woman of the Month - September 2010 |
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Past Awardees: [2009] [Jan] [Feb] [Mar] [Apr] [May] [Jun] [Jul] |
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| Click to Nominate a Woman of the Month | |||||||||
| Jennifer Lownik | |||||||||
| Recognized for “… teaching women how to defend themselves against rape, dating and domestic violence.” - Dennis Goldman | |||||||||
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Name: Jennifer Lownik |
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Occupation: President IM-SAFE INSTITUTE (EVP of IM-SAFE, LLC) |
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Employer: IM-SAFE LLC |
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Location: Connecticut |
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Education: |
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| BS - Johnson and Wales University | |||||||||
| Certified Self-Defense Instructor and Personal Security Specialist | |||||||||
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Woman of the Month Interview |
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| Q: How does your organization promote the development of women? | |||||||||
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Women by nature tend to be caring and look out for others. They focus on careers and families and often don’t recognize the need for their own personal safety. At IM-Safe we empower women by using a two fold approach. IM-Safe, LLC focuses on “Keeping Women and Those They Love Safe” through keynote presentations and workshops aimed at professional women. The other way we promote the development of women is through the work of the IM-Safe Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with limited economic means. |
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| Q: What role have you played in those efforts? | |||||||||
| My background before joining IM-Safe was that of a “Road Warrior” in the incentive travel industry where I was responsible for the planning, safety and oversight of several hundred to several thousand attendees. After becoming involved with IM-Safe, LLC, I saw the need for the development of additional programs including safety for women in sales and travel safety. | |||||||||
| Q: How do you add value to your current career? | |||||||||
| Adding value is always an ongoing effort for me personally as well as IM-Safe. To that end, we are always looking to gain additional insights both through training as well as learning valuable feedback from our attendees. Their personal stories and victories are an ongoing inspiration and helped spawn the idea of creating the IM-Safe Institute. | |||||||||
| Q: Is a college degree necessary for success in your profession? | |||||||||
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I believe every form of education at every level is important to one’s success. My own business degree certainly helped me get to where I am today. |
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| Q: What hurdles/setbacks that you faced in your career? How did you overcome it/them? | |||||||||
| The greatest hurdle I faced was moving from the corporate side to the entrepreneurial side of business. On the corporate side you have almost unlimited resources and support teams to draw upon. By contract, as an entrepreneur, you have to be more self reliant drawing upon your inner strength, creativity, and in the end you become a stronger, more confidant and self reliant individual. | |||||||||
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Q: Given a chance, would you choose a different career? Why (not)? |
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| Change is constant. The path that I’m on now affords me the luxury of being able to adapt to those changes and incorporate them into my current business objectives and goals. | |||||||||
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Q: Describe yourself in three words... |
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| Aware, Prepared, Fearless | |||||||||
| Q: What are you best at? | |||||||||
| Empowering women and helping them recognize their potential to overcome obstacles in their everyday lives. Empowered women typically take on more responsibility and assume more roles in leadership both in their personal and profession lives. | |||||||||
| Q: How do you achieve work/life balance? | |||||||||
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Work life balance is always a juggle for women and mothers. My best has strategy been by not taking life or myself too seriously. When things get hectic, I find it’s much easier to react and find solutions when you can laugh along the way. |
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| Q: Do you have/have you had mentors/role models? What role have they played in your personal/professional development? | |||||||||
| Most entrepreneurs I’ve met over the years are both mentors and role models. I believe you can learn something from everyone if you really listen to what they have to say. | |||||||||
| Q: What is your favorite quote and by whom? | |||||||||
| “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz | |||||||||
| Q: What are your interests in your leisure time? | |||||||||
| Spending time with family and friends, yoga, reading and cooking. | |||||||||
| Q: Are there any goals/ dreams that you are yet to fulfill? | |||||||||
| I’m currently putting together a book about Personal Safety for Women that will highlight empowered women and their winning strategies for overcoming fear. If you are, or know of any women willing to share their success stories, please have them contact me at info@im-safe.com. Once that book is published and on the shelf, perhaps I’ll look forward to publishing several more on the topic of women’s safety. | |||||||||
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Q: Networking – What tips can you suggest for successful networking? |
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| It’s all about connecting and learning. None of us are ever in business alone and need to connect and support one another. Be willing to mentor and learn from everyone you meet. | |||||||||
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