Leadership Styles, Transformation, and Success in the Business World

Women in Business, Female Economic Independence, and the Spirit of Jezebel October 25, 2018 Why Economic Freedom is Key to Female Autonomy. The 1960’s represented a time of cultural change for women in America. Women banded together and fought for their rights, demanding acknowledgment as individuals and not just as marital property. By doing so, women won the right to a workplace without discrimination, the right to have their income counted toward home loans, the right to reproductive freedom, and even the right to keep their own last names. Women moved steadily into the workforce and for the first time since the outbreak of WWII the economy, as well as the social landscape of America, rapidly changed. As the women’s rights movement progresses through time, there are still serious factors that derail our progress and development as individuals. One of the most serious factors is economic dependence on the male gender. As a female growing up, my mother stressed to me over and ...

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY, FAMILY SUPPORT AND SUCCESS Why The Emotional Support of Family is Key to a Successful Business By Katherine Fry, CEO/President of Mediafy Communications Ten years ago I made a decision-a decision that would ultimately change the direction of my life forever. Rather than remaining in England and working as a broker, or moving to Chicago for a cushy job in a financial firm, I decided to forge my own path and start my own business. I would return to my roots in the publishing industry, and at the same time assist in taking care of my ailing grandmother. My father, an entrepreneur, provided me a great deal of emotional support. My mother did also, suggesting she might come and stay with me for a while, to make sure I knew my way around town. My grandmother, now living in an assisted living facility, encouraged me to come and live in her home. In turn, I promised to assist in her care and visit her daily. This plethora of family support provided me ...

MY TRIP TO FRANCE From Katherine Fry, President/CEO Mediafy Communications. Having just returned from Europe for a three week trip, I have come to appreciate the fact that I am an American. The beaches of Normandy had a huge impact on me. My nine year old niece and I, accompanied by my parents, learned of the fate of over 4,300 young men who gave their lives, on the first day of D-Day alone, for the freedom of France, England, and ultimately the world. The German government had no bounds-they took what was not theirs and wreaked havoc upon Europe. As an American of German descent, I am still baffled by the fact that all of my relatives in Germany have no accountability for what happened; no memory of what occurred. Supposedly, none of their grandparents, uncles, or cousins were in the war. Really? They are a country with amnesia. Walking through the cathedral of Rouen, France, I was shocked to see plain glass where stained glass should appear. My niece and I noticed a staircas...

MY VISIT TO FLOORS CASTLE AND AMERICAN INGENUITY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY My visit to Floors Castle and American Ingenuity in the Face of Adversity Born of a father from the North and a mother from the South, I am more than familiar with the terms Yankee and Dixie. I have been called both, as well as half-Dixie. However, in England, Americans are all referred to as “Yanks,” and it is not always as a compliment. Nevertheless, as a child of America, I have come to recognize the inherent qualities that are readily existent in nearly all Americans. Northerners call it “Yankee ingenuity,” but it truly applies to all the children of America. Americans tend to have a tenacity to compete, to win, and to most importantly, to make the best of any and all situations. A prime example is Mary Goelet, a so called “bride of fortune,” married off at the turn of the century to a well-titled, well-connected, but nevertheless very broke Scottish Aristocrat. Following in the footsteps of her ve...

THE RELEVANCE OF GENDER, CLASS, AND JOAN OF ARC IN THE BUSINESS WORLD TODAY The Relevance of Gender, Class, and Joan of Arc in The Business World Today By Katherine Fry, CEO/President Mediafy Communications Group Today, Joan of Arc is revered around the world. The Roman Catholic Church canonized her in 1920, and claimed her image as their own. During my most recent trip to Paris, we visited a prominent boulevard named “Jean D’Arc”, after the beloved “Maid D’Orleans.” However, my visit to Rouen, France recently, with my nine year old niece in tow, revealed quite a different side to the story. Why is this young girl, only 18 when she led the army of France into battle, and 19 when burned at the stake, portrayed so differently now, than at the time of her execution in 1431? Joan of Arc’s family expected her to marry and have a family. Constrained by both class and gender, Joan’s life consisted of church and farmwork. At the age of 18, most women in France married and began fami...

ARE TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES OBSOLETE?  AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELEVANCE OF TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES IN OUR HOMES, GOVERNMENTS, AND BUSINESSES.   Are Traditional Gender Roles Obsolete?  An Analysis of the Relevance of Traditional Gender Roles in our Homes, Governments, and Businesses. By Katherine Fry, CEO/President Mediafy Communications Group Is traditional marriage dead?  Having been raised by a feminist mother of the 60’s, I have often asked myself this question.  My marriage is definitely a contemporary one-my husband and I both have careers, we split the bills, and keep our finances separate.  My mother raised me with the ideals of education, self-worth, and independence. “Never be dependent on a man,” she would often say. “Because you never know when he might leave.”  As a result, I married later in life, and the traditional homemaker gender role is not one that I have embraced-at all. In fact, all of the household chores have been delegate...

SALES EXECUTIVES, SALES SUPPORT, AND THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA: HOW TAKING AWAY TOOLS AND BENEFITS ULTIMATELY HURTS SALES ORGANIZATIONS AND COUNTRIES Sales Executives, Sales Support, and the Royal Yacht Britannia: How Taking Away Tools and Benefits Ultimately Hurts Sales Organizations and Countries The British Government decommissioned the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1997. According to the government’s official website, “On 23 June 1994, John Major’s Government announced there would be no refit for HMY Britannia as the costs would be too great. After a long and successful career spanning 44 years and traveling over 1 million miles around the globe, it was announced that the last Royal Yacht was to be decommissioned. There was no immediate decision about a replacement, but the question of a new Royal Yacht became a political issue in the run up to the 1997 General Election. The Conservative Party’s Secretary of State for Defense announced that if they were to be re-elected, they w...

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, STRESS, AND SELF-CARE Entrepreneurship, Stress, and Self-Care By Katherine Fry, CEO/President of Mediafy Communications Entrepreneurial Self Care Steps For Creating And Maintaining A Transformational Workplace As an entrepreneur, I have undergone a great deal of personal and professional stress over the last ten years. My devotion from the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey has always been to the clients. I swore to myself from the very beginning that I would do everything correctly, and never make a mistake. Like during my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I knew that if I did my homework correctly, aced all the tests, and never missed a class, I would undoubtedly make an A in the class. I approached entrepreneurship the same way. Just as in school, I crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s. I gave it my all. For a while, I lived in my office, because I was afraid to take a salary. As a matter of fact, I did not draw a paycheck for 3 ½ years....