Read the original article at: https://boldjourney.com/meet-marya-meyer/

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marya Meyer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marya, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I believe that each of us are multi-purpose. I have a theory that certain issues and tasks have our names on them. We are surrounded by ideas, issues, problems, and possibilities, but we cannot tackle them all. To find my purpose at any given point in time, I just had to be calmly alert enough to identify which ones were truly for me. I found myself now leading The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade because I began volunteering passionately, became an identifier of ways to make a true difference, and got pretty darn good at it, so it proves my theory correct: this one is for me!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

For over three decades The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade (WFMD) has served a critical role, creating positive change for women and girls through grantmaking, advocacy, research, and leveraging collective impact right here at home. We are hyper-focused locally on gender inequities in systems that hold women, and subsequently, the whole community, back. Our vision is a Miami-Dade where power and possibility are NOT limited by gender.

Thoughtful listening, research, grassroots community discussion, and hands-on collaborations, led WFMD to focus efforts on four pillars deemed integral and necessary for women, especially women and girls of color (WGOC), to truly thrive. These pillars are: Economic Mobility, Freedom From Violence, Leadership, and, Health and Well-being. Issues include Equal Pay, access to financial resources, domestic and intimate partner violence, labor and sex trafficking, sexual assault, economic insecurity, affordable housing and living wages, girls’ leadership, public health, reproductive justice, and mental health.

WFMD creates this stronger Miami-Dade through our 4 key programs: grantmaking, convening/advocacy, research and public awareness campaigns, like the award-winning “Hey Daddy, Why Do You Pay Women Less” and Stop Sex Trafficking outdoor campaigns. We are fostering collective impact, supporting strategies to overcome and/or dismantle entrenched barriers to women and girls. We have invested in transformative initiatives supporting women and girls across our community. Together, we are building a Miami-Dade where women and girls rise to leadership, achieve equal opportunity, can access equitable health care and are free from violence.

We have launched cutting-edge tools like the Miami-Dade Self Sufficiency Standard calculator, the Gender Equity Index and more https://womensfundmiami.org

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Openness: My advice is to not doubt that you are worthy. Then you can dare to show up and try anything new you are called to.
2. Intuitive: Hone this skill and you will find it is a terrifically efficient time-saver. You will see the doors open and do less running into ones that are likely to remain closed.
3. Responsible and ethical: Show up and do what you say you are going to do. If you can’t or change your mind, tell everyone involved. Intentionally look for the win/win not only for the people in front of you, but for generations to come.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

We are looking for funders and collaborators in:

-Creating and funding an Alliance for Infant and Maternal Health to reduce the ridiculous mortality and morbidity statistics in Miami-Dade. We have a strong vision and model ready to go.

-Strengthening early child learning, child care, and local workforce by matching early learning center owners and operators with corporate human resource departments seeking greater employee retention competitive edge. We have strong grantee partners and are building an innovative model.

-Best practices models for smooth implementation of pay equity practices. Businesses need help to do the right thing for their bottom line and employees.

-Human trafficking public awareness campaigns.

Contact: info@womensfundmiami.org or marya@womensfundmiami.org

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