Amy Powell interviews Dominique Samari on International Women’s Day.
Amy Powell discusses honoring women with Dominique Samari, the “Everyday Women Wisdom Project” & the non profit organization ‘Pearls for Teen Girls’.
Amy Powell: I’ve been so impressed with your commitment to honoring women in your life, both personally and professionally. Where does this motivation come from?
Dominique Samari: The motivation to honor women comes from my own life journey. I have been surrounded by absolutely amazing women who support and guide me, come and pray for me and think about me all the time. Honoring women feels like the smallest possible thing I can do to lift that up.
AP: Why do you think it’s important to observe Women’s History Month and what do you hope to inspire within others?
DS: I think oftentimes women are quiet about their struggles, their journeys and their ideas. This project was an opportunity for me to look at my own life and listen to them as they shared wisdom that had popped up for them. And the wisdom came from these really deep and real and true places, not just wisdom off the shelves, but from their actual lives and I just don’t think we have the opportunity as women to share that kind of thing with each other very often.
AP: What is one of the stories that you’ve heard that offered you guidance in your own life?
DS: There are so many, but recently I had a conversation with my friend Jojopah, who talked about developing a practice that helps you eliminate self doubt. She shared that we all have self doubt and it just doesn’t go away by itself; it is literally a daily practice. It’s something that you do every day to wash it off of you and that has been really helpful guidance for me.
AP: What is your “Everyday Women Wisdom” project?
DS: It is a project where I interviewed 30 women about wisdom that has guided their journey. I wrote up their responses and then I collaborated with an artist based in Milwaukee, WI, Sherrill Knezel, who has created an illustration to accompany each write-up.
AP: And lastly tell us a little bit more about “Pearls for Teen Girls.”
DS: Pearls for Teen Girls is a non profit organization based in Milwaukee, WI that helps disadvantaged young women develop the professional and personal skills that they need to thrive in their lives and careers. And these are oftentimes girls who may not have the kind of examples from women in their lives that would help them model the type of woman that they want to become in the future.
(Visit https://www.pearlsforteengirls.com/ for more information)
About Dominique Samari
Dominique Samari is an experienced strategist, coach and facilitator who helps organizations build and sustain equitable and inclusive change. A naturally empathetic leader, Samari specializes in supporting leaders as they navigate difficult and complex change.
About Amy Powell:
Amy Powell is a recognized entertainment industry leader and pioneer in the next generation of digital marketing & content creation. As an entrepreneur and founder of multiple digital, film and television companies, her expertise spans across digital marketing, story-telling, brand-building, content creation and business intelligence.
