An Open Invitation to "Male Allies"

Dear male allies and those aspiring to play the role,

Hello! My name is Stevi Gable Carr, Founder and CEO of WISe Wellness Guild.

I hope this message finds you well, your coffee hot and your intentions, pure.  

I am inviting you to step into your power this International Women's Day, approving our requests and supporting a more equitable existence. 

We need you to promote women into decision-making roles to support better outcomes for women.  This is how we drive change.

Request #1: Equal pay. 

Women are requesting equal pay in rooms that, 92% of the time, are not led by women as only 8% of Fortune 500 CEO's are female.  Consequentially the gender pay gap hasn't budged in 15 years.  Please promote that middle-manager that is a little "bossy," the one that challenges your idea of a "traditional leader" and endorse her as one. 

Resources: Equal Rights Advocates Pay Transparency Mentor Women of Color

Request # 2: Equitable healthcare.

Women are requesting equitable access to healthcare, but only 22% of surgeons are women and when women operated by male surgeons are 32% more likely to die than women operated by female surgeons. Further, only .78% of surgeons are black women, which is alarming considering the impact of implicit bias has on black patients. Please encourage that curious science major to explore medicine, tell her she's capable and help her find scholarships to pursue medical school. 

Resources: ACP HRSA Funding

Request #3: Equitable funding.

We are requesting for capital to build businesses, however, less than 2% of all venture capital goes to female founders, even though female-founded and funded companies perform 63% better than the all-male founding, generate a 35% higher return on investment.  Shockingly, the median seed round for Black female entrepreneurs was $125,000, compared with the national median of $2.5 million. Further, women make up only 15 percent of general partners at venture capital firms. Please mentor young women in finance to explore venture capital, help female founders navigate funding conversations and offer support where you can. 

Resources: Lightship Capital H Ventures Mortar Aviatra Accelerator SoCap Accelerate 

We've been requesting for permission from YOU, and a decision has consistently been made- REQUEST DENIED.   

Respectfully, we need you to use your power to invite us. We see you cheering us on on social media, but we need your support in the "room where it happens" (s/o to all my Hamilton fans).

Pay us. Hire us. Fund us. Trust us. Amplify us. Support us. Promote us. Invite us- we're exhausted from a lifetime of denied requests. We want to do this with you- collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Want to get started? We'd love to continue the conversation!

Email us to learn how you can support women in your region @ hello@wisewellnessguild.com 

Check out our event "Unfiltered: The Critical Role of Male Allies" in partnership with Fifth Third Private Bank featuring:

Stacey Browning, Growth Consultant at Multiply Impact Ventures

Richard Cooke, Director of Communications, P&G + Owner e|19

Tim Elsbrock, Regional President of Fifth Third Bank (Cincinnati)

Barbara Turner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ohio National