Constance Hosannah & Kate Woloszyn are building an empowering place for women to talk about trauma / obstacles they've overcome in life
We stay motivated by… hyping each other up. It’s natural for us to lose interests or forget why we started this journey in the first place. But at the end of the day, we’re both very serious about keeping each other on track, no matter the cost. When one’s feeling down, we text the other right away. Backsliding or starting over from scratch is not an option for either of us. It’s okay to take steps backward, but it's so important to fight the desire to remain comfortable and to move a few steps forward after the storm passes.
Three adjectives that describe us are… honest, empowering, and optimistic.
If I could have dinner with one person (dead or alive) it would be… Constance: Audrey Gelman, co-founder of The Wing because I am captivated by her rise to success, and I love the space she’s created for so many badass women across the world. // Kate: … my grandma because she died when I was two, and I know only one part of her history and definitely want to know more. Also I would want to see what she was like…
The most exciting innovation to us is… social media; it’s caused a proliferation of networking opportunities, and so many cool people are being connected to and growing from other extraordinary people they wouldn’t normal meet.
We’re Okay is a collective which gives women both physical and digital spaces in which they can talk about trauma and/ or obstacles they've overcome in their personal journeys with the intention of informing another woman’s struggles. Our city-wide healing circle pop-ups and our blog provide women opportunities for daily encouragement and support. We want women to hype other women up through their struggles and to exchange dialogue/perspectives in healthy and respectful ways.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
Before starting We’re Okay, neither of us had dreams that included being an entrepreneur. Actually, both of us want to start law school very soon. But as demand for our services grew, we adopted an entrepreneurial vision and the lifestyle. Having a budding business has been such a blessing in our lives, and we could not image life without our little company and the amazing women it’s connected us to.
Do you have a fixed work routine? Is it important to have one? Any tips for our readers?
Before starting We’re Okay, Kate was a college student and the president of our college sorority's (Sigma Delta Tau) chapter, and I was finishing up a Master’s degree. Sorority life definitely prepared us for entrepreneurial life because sororities are businesses, and each chapter is strategically has its own business- like structure. We both had experience on the executive board and have looked to it to create a business model of our own. Our routine is not yet solidified; running a business is hard work, especially when two women are doing most of the work. We post on our blog constantly and schedule regular community events, but outside of that, We’re Okay is a completely free- flowing entity. We have insisted the help of friends, family, and sisters, and they have allowed us to being to develop a more cohesive routine in other aspects of our business. But we kind of like that We’re Okay is a living, breathing collective with a mind of its own! It’s important to identify which aspects of your business require a routine and which ones will suffer from one. Rigidity can kill creativity, but so can a lack of structure. There a delicate balance between the two.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle for female founders? How can we overcome it?
Having a 9-5 and balancing a business can be overwhelming, and if you’re not taking care of yourself, you WILL burn out. Keeping someone in your corner (Kate!) who motivates you to keep going is a must. Similarly, you need to develop a purpose and a mission early on. I think many women have amazing intentions for their businesses but lack an end-goal or fail to understand what the goal of their businesses are in full. Make a flexible list of specific goals you intend to manifest in your business, and keep in mind that these can and will change as you get the ball rolling. If they don’t change, you’re doing something wrong.
How do you generate new ideas to stay relevant on the market? Is it important to innovate in your space?
The women who we feature and meet drive much of our innovation and uniqueness. Their perspectives are so diverse, dynamic and relevant that on the content front, we don’t have to do much. With regards to the technical frame work of our company, Kate and I are each responsible for overseeing We’re Okay’s development in our own ways, but we always checking with each other. It is always important to stay relevant and to try novel concepts because while what we’re doing is important work, we are not alone and other’s have similar models. We LOVE the presence of other women- centric empowerment platforms, but know we will help that many more women if we provide alternatives that are conducive to a plethora of women's growths. If everyone’s doing the same thing, only a specific sections of women are benefiting, and we see our value as far-reaching and beneficial to all women.
How far are you willing to go to succeed?
Our biggest sacrifices thus far have been our time, our energy and our money. I work full time and Kate is a full time student, in addition to a myriad of other things in which we are involved. In order to keep We’re Okay afloat, we work overtime. And we also invest a lot of our personal resources into it to make sure we are growing organically and consistently. We will do whatever it takes to see We’re Okay transform from a local business into a global entity, with millions of lives positively changed.
Who is the one super successful person you look up to? Why them? Can you share their quote/ideology that inspires you the most?
Both of us are really inspired by two women, hugely: Rachel Hollis and Joanna Gaines.
For Kate, Rachel Holiis is responsible for transforming her self-growth into tangible progress. Before learning about her and reading her book, “Girl, Wash Your Face”, Kate felt stuck in a cycle of peaks and valleys and lacked the mental perseverance to keep pushing through circumstances. Similarly, I was also in a vicious cycle of bad relationships (romantic and platonic), one after another. Not only do I love home-design, but I have always admired Joanna’s love for her husband Chip and their children and the values that they speak to on their show, “Fixer Upper”. She was a figure that was instrumental in developing my self-worth and understanding of compassion through adolescence. Both women are also Christian entrepreneurs, and faith has been hugely instrumental in our own personal journeys through self-love and growth. A quote we both love is: “Comparison is the death of joy, and the only person you need to be better than is the one you were yesterday. - Rachel Hollis
If you were a book, which one would it be and why?
Given the response above, if we could be books, we would each respectively be: “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis and “The Magnolia Story”, by Chip and Joanna Gaines.
What is one thing you find to be true that most people would disagree with?
At various points in life, we are thought we have to either grow alone or be strong enough persist through really hard obstacles independent of others. We adamantly stand against this notion. While we don’t encourage codependency, we see the value of relationship and of support in transforming experiences. Rather than being codependent, we should all aim to be interdependent, using collaboration and respect to inform all of our choices and decisions. Growth cannot and should not happen, however, in solitude. Human interaction happens everyday, and it transforms us all for the better!
What is your biggest dream? Why? Describe your biggest vision for your business.
Our biggest vision for We’re Okay is to have it’s reach grow in 2020 and beyond. We know that women can benefit from our business by receiving the impetus to begin healing or by encouraging other women to do so. Simply put, positivity and love are contagious and we're here to spread it. We cannot wait to see how far we can go and how many women was can get to join us!
Instagram: @wereokayfam
Facebook: @wereokay fam
Blog: www.wereokayfam.blogspot.com
Email: wereokayfam@gmail.com