09/29/2026
Friday night at the Women Empowerment Awards , I sat at Table 14 in a room filled with women doing the real work.
Women working with inner-city youth. Women standing beside some of the most vulnerable women in our shelters. Women who refuse to let anyone be overlooked because of their circumstances or their age.
Thank you to a day one Janice Fricker for bringing this incredible table together ♥️♾️
I’ve shared my story publicly before, so I won’t retell it here. But I know this: my story is not the typical outcome.
I’ve worked hard. I’ve also been incredibly fortunate.
I had people.
People who believed in me before I had the proof. People who opened doors and pulled up chairs. People who never made me feel like I was being helped. They made me feel like I belonged.
They never made my story a victim story. They didn’t leave me stranded in my narrative. They held the light for me until I could hold it myself.
That’s what I carry with me now. Real belief isn’t something you say. It’s something you do.
So when I’m in a position to help, I believe in people before they have the proof. I open the door. I pull up the chair. I never want anyone to feel like they’re being helped. I want them to know they belong.
That’s what the Women Empowerment Foundation has been doing for five years: grants, scholarships, support for women in shelters, and bringing young girls into rooms where they can see what’s possible. Thank you Klaudia•Entrepreneur•Motivational Speaker•PR Influencer for building this.
That’s the butterfly effect. 🦋
One person believes in you.
You become who you were meant to be.
Then you become the person who believes in someone else.
Changing someone’s life doesn’t always mean saving them. Sometimes it means believing in them long enough for them to believe in themselves. 🦋
📸 George Pimentel
📸 Nancy Kim
