March is Women’s History Month! At WubbaNub we have the good fortune to work with and for some pretty inspiring women. And in celebration of International Women’s Day we chatted with our fearless leader, CEO and momtrepreneur, Carla Schneider. We hope you feel as inspired by her words about supporting other women as we do!
Who was your role model when you were young?
My role models, when I was a young would have been my mom and my maternal grandmother. We are a very close family which meant weekly family dinners together.
My maternal grandmother worked in a job up until her 80’s. When she wasn’t at “work” she was taking care of the house, making meals, ironing. It amazed me the amount of energy she had to complete the tasks that she had set out to do for that day and always with a smile. She always had time for her grandchildren and made us feel very special.
When I was very young, I use to think my mom was Wonder Woman. lol. Maybe it was because they both had dark brown, wavy hair!
Early on, when I was a toddler, she owned and operated a retail music store – which she eventually sold to pursue her passion. Later on in my grammar school age, my mom opened, owns and operates a nonprofit organization, which is now celebrating its 40th year in business. This amazes me as she only obtained a high school education and self-taught what she needed to know in order to successfully operate her business(es). AND …. all of this while also being a MOM to me and my two sisters, one of which has a developmental disability. There weren’t any delivery services/apps. or modern conveniences to make life easier back in the day.
Who are the women who inspire you every day?
Hmm…that is quite a list for me. I am inspired by all women whose backstories are so interesting to me – on what they’ve learned, what they’ve accomplished and what they’ve overcome. Inspiration not only comes from the people that are in my life every day, such as my mom, good friends and many of my employees. However, I am also inspired from people that I do not know personally but their stories inspire me, such as NICU nurses and moms that write to me, to the cashier at the deli who greets me every single day with a huge smile to my dog’s veterinarian oncologist who, at the moment, who I amazed at her knowledge and the confidence she has while treating my dog.
What do you want to see in the future for women?
For women to stay empowered and happy. Women can have a work/life balance and feel fulfilled in both without feeling guilty.
What is your advice to young women in business and in life?
To love what you do and do what you love. As it is as important to not doubt yourself. Doubt only validates fear and you need to be able to take a risk and be okay with the outcome. There are no wrong decisions on lessons to learn. That is how you will grow as a person.