Interview with Lisé Markham of Emic Interactive Media

When Lisé Markham, CEO of Emic Interactive Media, was first hired by the Tribune Company to lead its television station in San Diego, she was the first woman they’d hired in 150 years. Markham shares her thoughts on beginning to break the glass ceiling, why she helps women entrepreneurs, the importance of enthusiasm and persistence, meeting and making a personal connection with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and more. She believes today’s young female entrepreneurs should look to build connections with successful mentors, which are more plentiful than ever. Find out more at http://emicmedia.com.

Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas

The Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas) is a program designed to support economic development around the world and increase female economic participation by helping women overcome barriers to starting and growing businesses.

Exchanges and partnerships are an essential part of any entrepreneurial journey. In the WEAmericas exchange through the International Visitor Leadership Program, women entrepreneurs are able to learn, gain new skills, find mentors and more.

"In the WEAmericas program, we have learned quite a lot. We've gotten to know the experiences of other women, and also tools that can help women in these small and medium-sized enterprises to draw out their business plans, create their market strategies and start their marketing; among other tools that they have given us; and that I'm sure they will continue giving to us. So the simple access to that is a great step for us," says Marisol Del Carmen Brooks Zelaya, a WEAmericas gradauate from Nicaragua.

WeAmericas, state department helps women from across the Americas network and access opportunities.

"Essentially, women need training and access to credit, and women as a gender need to be taken into consideration as a productive segment of the market, says Maria De Los Angeles Torres Suarez, an alumna from Uruguay. "We need to strengthen their access to markets. Information generates opportunities, and training allows them to manage and develop their entrepreneurship in a way that's viable and successful."

Maria De Los Angeles Torres Suarez, a particpant and graduate from Uruguay, agarees. "I'm going to try to share this with other women, so that other women can also participate in this program, and therefore, we can have a multiplier effect," she says. "We can obtain better results and achieve more sustainable development."

For more about how WEAmerica supports opportunities for women in Latin America through education and skills development programs, visit the WEAmericas Initiative.

Leadership Specialist Jenny Garrett Talks Female Breadwinners

Jenny Garrett; a mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation and a personal and business coach for over ten years who focuses on coaching leaders in many public, private and nonprofit organizations; has turned her focus to female breadwinners.

It's the focus of her coaching, as well as her book "Rocking Your Role," which she calls a "how-to guide to success for female breadwinners." A female breadwinner, Garrett says, is a woman who is with a partner but earns more, or simply someone who is the sole earner in a family. They make up about 50 percent of the population, she says.

"The concept of female breadwinners is not something everyone knows about," she says, adding that while many women have changed to encompass both family and business roles, society hasn't necessarily changed to be welcoming to them.

Garrett seeks to help women navigate the complex challenges of a world that isn't necessarily ready for them, while dealing with role reversal and much more. She wants to help those who are struggling, she says, but also to celebrate those who are thriving.

One of the biggest challenges women mention is doing it all and feeling burned out.

"I help them to thank about how they can drop that cape of invincibility and actually help others to help themselves."

Learn more about Jenny Garrett and her work at rockingyourrole.com, or follow her on Twitter.