Cheddar News is celebrating Women's History Month by shining a light on trailblazers and changemakers that are making strides across industries. Cheddar's Hena Doba sits down with Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary, to find out how she's helping women thrive through networking, mentorships, and so much more.

Celebrating Women's Achievements in the Workplace

We are kicking off our women's history month celebrations here at cheddar news and all month long will be highlighting trailblazers and change makers that are making strides across industries. Cheddar news is an adobo had the chance to sit down with kate lucio founder and Ceo of luminary who is on a mission to help women thrive through networking mentorships and so much more take a look. I want to talk about when we met four years ago and just how much has changed since you started luminary because women are making strides when it comes to leading companies becoming business owners. Where do we stand when it comes to women's achievements? Especially for women's history month? Yeah, well it's great to have you back here. We're sitting in the glass ceiling, which is part of luminary. So think about March of 2020, 2020, what was happening we saw over the course of six months, five million women leave the workforce. Right those women, we are almost back to pre pandemic levels of women in the workforce. We thought this was going to be 10, 15 years before that happened. So women continue to make strides or making progress. We need more women in leadership roles. We need more women with access to capital that are running their businesses. However, we know that women are focused and they are taking control of their career and their career path and what does that look like and what's important to them. I think it's um I'm actually really cautiously optimistic about where we're at today. Again, looking back two years ago, it was, we were in the she session and now even with the market downturn and volatility, there's been great strides and but there's more to do and I'm excited to be a part of that. I mentioned this to a few minutes ago, I've been to luminary a few times and they're always successful, ambitious women coming in and out. What is driving these women every single, What are they hoping to achieve? So I think one is really having access to a broad and diverse network. Right? One of the things that we're very proud of that luminary is that we're more than 50% women of color as part of our community. We're also adjoined now community, we have no application process and application in my mind creates a barrier. Women have already women of color in particular these incredible barriers to entry. So we've leveled that playing field. So when you walk in the door, you lose the ego, it's about not just about who's in the space, but what you're doing. And because we have women in entrepreneurship, women in the traditional workforce, right? I'm climbing the corporate ladder. I'm in government, I'm a nonprofit, we have lots of women in transition and we have men and so that's really important as we build up this ecosystem of number one cross colonization of knowledge share and knowledge transfer and two is they want access to a great network and they want resources that can help them navigate their career in whatever they're doing. I don't have to tell you how confusing the workplace has been in 2023. There are work mandates to come back to work. A lot of companies are laying people off. How is this affecting women particularly well. Again we're seeing, you know, we're almost at pre pandemic levels for women coming back into the workforce especially given that that significant loss here in the us. You know, I still I think and we had an incredible round table last week here at luminary of HR leaders D. N. I. Leaders talking about what is challenging the workforce in general for women. I still think you've got childcare issues, motor killer issues, flexibility, driving some of that what's important to me as a woman as I navigate advanced, figure out my career. So I think we have to watch that. I think companies as we're thinking about return to work hybrid workforces, proximity bias, right? If I'm not in front of my boss, how is he or she gonna know who I am and thinking about ways that not just attract that talent retain them. And as we know, we've been seeing reduction in workforce layoffs. Um and I think that's happening across the board, how do you make sure as an individual that you're prepared, you're visible, they know your value and making sure that again you're taking control of that career path. I already know you're gonna hate this next question because you are so humble but you are considered an inspiration and a Trailblazer for men and women out there has that set in. How do you take that compliment or that accomplishment? You know, I feel like I'm just doing it like the rest of us, right? I mean I spent 20 years in banking and and just doing my job and working really hard and investing in talent and and that's what I'm doing with luminary. It's my responsibility. I feel like that as a as a woman um and just make making sure that we all have access to opportunities that it's not just about the C suite that it's not just about, you know, C E. O. S or or people that are running companies, we have such an incredible opportunity with the workforce and the women in it today to generationally change society and when I look at the young women and the young girls coming up, I mean I'm getting goose bumps. It is, it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of what we're driving all this change that we're driving. So you know, inspiration. That's amazing. I'm inspired by a lot to um I'm inspired by you and I think, you know, as long as you're doing it for the right reasons. That's what it's about. Alright, well big thanks. Their cheddar news is hena Doba sitting down with kate lucio founder and Ceo of luminary and don't forget viewers all month long will be featuring industry trailblazers, inspiring founders and change, making women rightfully so here on cheddar news.