Articles by Jessica Chan
Thank You For Your Inspiration, Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
I only heard of the death of Steve Jobs an hour ago, and amidst the Facebook feeds flooding, Twitter failing, and my local public radio station KQED reprising the announcement, I realized: this was a great, great man.
Great people die. That’s just a fact of life. And we hear about it, much in the same way I am hearing about Steve Jobs’ death right now, and it’s saddening because it’s tough to see great people leave the world. It’s also chilling to me because it reminds me that death does take us all in the end. He was only 56.
The State of the Woman in the Workplace in 2011: It Could Be Better
Last night, I attended a talk in San Francisco’s pariSoma building in SOMA given by Nita Singh Kaushal, Founder of Miss CEO. My intentions were to pick up some tips, likely ones that I’d heard before, meet other women, and see if there were any interested writers for enableher.
As we sat through introductions and Nita began with statistics on the state of women in the workplace from this year, 2011, I began to feel I was going to get more out of this than I originally thought. The numbers flashed on screen: “women are making an average of 77.5 cents for every dollar a man makes,” “female CEOs are receiving compensation packages that were 85% the size of male CEOs, controlling for company size and other variables,” “40% of women are primary household breadwinners.”
Get Out There, Make Mistakes, and Move On
In my last post, I talked about how much Terry Gross inspires me not only because she herself has achieved so much, but because she reminded me that almost everyone, no matter how accomplished they are, started in a place less glamorous, less impressive, and less experienced. A simple truth, but a comforting one.
But what happens once you really start gaining traction? Whether you’re progressing in your career and gaining more responsibilities, or an opportunity comes along and you’re asked to show your skills in front of a large audience– the higher up you go, the further you have to fall. This too, can be a scary prospect.
Remember, Everyone Who Is Great Now Was Less Good When They Started: On Terry Gross
Terry Gross, a radio interviewer for the show Fresh Air, has taught me two things: one, everyone who is great now was less good when they started; and two, when you’re great, catastrophic mistakes are just part of the territory.
I love listening to Terry Gross on the radio. I haven’t listened to her for all that long, a year or two maybe, I’ve never seen her in person or on TV, and I’ve never even watched a video of her, but when I hear her voice, I imagine this poised, confident woman with a charm that’s both disarming and purposeful at the same time. For some reason, she fascinates me.
Anyone Can Run A Marathon, Even Me
What You Need to Train for Your First Marathon
- Hal Higdon’s Novice Marathon Training Plan
- Water Bottle (you NEED this. I used a Fuel Belt hand-held waterbottle because I didn’t like the things around my waist)
- JellyBelly Sports Beans (I didn’t know that you need to eat while you run when you’re running more than 6 miles– they’ll make you feel much more energized)
- Music of some sort (I went from a Sport Sony CD/MP3 player that I would literally strap to my hand– it was huge– to an iPod Mini that I used for over 5 years, to my now iPhone strapped to my arm. Music helps make the time go faster if you’re not training for speed.)
How I Made This WordPress Blog From Scratch
This is my first article on enableher. and what better topic to write on than how I started this blog?
I learned HTML when I was 12 years old, and I credit my dad for my interest in coding because he was a computer engineer back in the day. But I’ve never really considered myself a “coder,” more a “dabbler.” Even before I learned HTML, I always had a strange fancy for putting blank sheets of paper together, cutting them, shaping them, adding stock paper to the ends, and stapling everything together to make blank books. I wasn’t as passionate about filling those books with content, but I really loved putting them together.
How to Become a Writer for enableher.
write for us.
There are two ways to contribute to enableher…
we’re looking for weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly columnists
Take a look at all the categories and subcategories we have listed on the site. If you think you can contribute on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis to any one of those categories (OR, if you think a category is missing, I’ll add it!), talk to us! We don’t limit you on what you want to write about, as long as it falls within the themes of positivity, encouragement, and inspiration. Talk about yourself, talk about the amazing people you know, talk about advice you’d like to share with others– believe it or not, your words could change someone else’s life.
As a Weekly Columnist, you will be featured on our Authors List with your photo, biography, and contact information if desired. You’ll have your own blogger account, and your own profile page that will list all the articles that you write for us. Your picture and title will also be listed in the right-hand column of all the categories that you write for. You must be available to make a commitment to write one article per week, bi-weekly, or monthly, (but of course we’re flexible if you need a break now and then– life happens 
. If you’re interested, fill out the form in the Write For Us page!
do you have one or two amazing stories to share? become a Guest Blogger
Find yourself procrastinating on that memoir you keep meaning to start, and you don’t have time to be a regular columnist? Share your story with us as a Guest Blogger, and contribute to our collection of inspiring success! We want to gather as many stories and tips as we can from women just like you who have experienced what it’s like to work hard and achieve your goals. Give back by sharing what you went through, and what you wish you knew then that you know now. Whether you have a piece of advice, or just want to tell your own personal history, we want to hear from you!
As a Guest Blogger, you will be featured on our Guest Blogger List with your photo, biography, and contact information if desired. There is no obligation to write for us regularly. If you’re interested, fill out the form in the Write For Us page!
to all writers
While we can’t pay you for your time, rest assured that all the content you write belongs to you and that by contributing, you give us permission to publish, but the rights stay with you, the author. We do ask that, as a courtesy, if you do write something for us, that the writing be all-original (not an article or story you’ve copied and pasted, or reused over and over).
the vision
We are dedicated to anyone who wishes they had a female mentor or a strong role model, and to every woman who has achieved or wants to achieve her own success. We’re here to tell your stories, and inspire others to reach their ambitions with real life examples.
enableher. has 3 goals:
- to collect as many writers and stories/advice/inspirational pieces as we can
- to be the best place to read about amazing women who inspire the world– yes, the world
- and to promote everyone who contributes to this publication
thank you!
Whatever you choose to write for us, we thank you sincerely. We can’t be successful without you, and in turn we wish you the best in everything that you do!