Harrah Brown is American real estate agent living in Georgia. Two years ago, she took up lifestyle coaching for women as a hobby, which later became her lifelong passion and also her profession. She has created an online community called „Empowered Woman”, which brings together women from all over the world. She told her story about how she started a new life at the age of 60, when her relationship ended and she moved into a new apartment. Gathering all her strength, she started training and developing herself, which made her physically and mentally stronger. In recent years, she has attended Jack Canfield’s training course on the psychology of self-esteem and success. I found her on the internet and we have been in weekly contact since January. Thanks to her, I have the opportunity to learn from a community of women from all over the world. Thanks to her, I have learned to believe that you decide how and when you age. It’s a given opportunity, it can be done like this, too.
Fanni Erzsébet Tóth is the founder of „Lean in Femspace”, a professional, non-profit association of Hungarian women living in Austria. She is from Slovakia but has been living in Vienna for more than 10 years. She is a social researcher, but behind her back there is a lot of learning in various fields. She is a specialist in trauma management, and more specifically, how we can incorporate unpleasant memories into who we are and how we can evolve ourselves constantly, to become the best versions of ourselves. I also came across Fanni’s work online, which is why I cherish social media sites, because sometimes they really do work wonders, just by introducing us to powerful women and creators, who can truly make a difference in developing ourselves. Sometimes I feel like I have learned more from reading Fanni’s „Lean in Femspace” website, than I did during all those long (and a lot of the times boring) years I have spent during my studies.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I brought you these two amazing women who are creating, who are giving, who are building a community of women, and who are constantly evolving.
What inspired you to create a community that moves so many women?
H.B.: The online community, Empowered Woman, launched in February 2022. As I shared my experiences regarding fitness and exercise on my social media pages, my followers started asking questions about health and fitness. They wanted me to help them start making lifestyle changes. Specifically, they asked me if I had a programme that they could follow. It took several months before I finally decided to create this programme to help all women who are at a loss for choices but don’t know how to start improving their health and mental well-being.
F.E.T.: When I first came to Vienna, I was very busy with the hustle and bustle of life, attending international conferences with colleagues, but when I became a mother, I felt that I was surrounded by a constricted space. I kept my job part-time. While I was taking my baby to one of the cradles, I noticed that almost everywhere I went, there were highly qualified women with children. Later, I posted a question on a baby-mama forum in Vienna asking if there was a need for a women’s club with regular events on professional matters. There was a huge demand, which attracted the attention of Loffice, where we held our first workshop. We received many offers from women in different professions, which allowed everyone to contribute to the network. It became clear very quickly that we were not only going to be active in Vienna. Since then, we have been mentoring internationally and we are also present in the online space.
What does your community offer?
H.B.: It provides a safe space for women to meet online and connect with other women. It gives hope to many, as some are going through or have gone through difficult times, whether it’s a job loss, loss of a spouse, or a health issue. In this safe space, they don’t feel judged for being vulnerable and truly walking through the trauma, because this is the best way to get yourself over it forever. They can get support and suggestions from other women. And just knowing that someone cares about them regardless of their current mental state, can make a big difference to a frustrated woman’s self-esteem. We’re not friends out of „obligation”, but much rather because we’ve all been through something difficult and bad in life, which is why we’re all there to support each other, and for some women, that’s the only reason why it’s worth waking up in the morning.
F.E.T.: We call ourselves a support network. We are a very strong online community that can be useful not only for those who live in Vienna, but for everyone worldwide. The programmes are happening monthly, lasting for 10 months in total, usually 10-12 events per year. We alternate between professional (e.g. women and finance, how to write a CV, whatever) and cultural programmes. We also give space to successful Hungarian artists in Austria and to those who are rebuilding their professional lives abroad after leaving their home country.
What does it feel like to inspire so many women?
H.B.: The best part is to see the progress women in the programme make, to see the success they experience in the joy of achieving something. It’s simple things like someone giving up cookies, someone giving up alcohol for a month, someone starting to go on walks regularly. For many women, the biggest challenge is feeling good about themselves.
F.E.T.: I think that whoever has received a lot, has a duty to pass it on. I have a strong desire to pass on what I have received from the world.
What advice would you give to my generation?
H.B.: Be sure to follow your passion until it becomes your way of life and never give up easily. There’s something called the law of accumulation: you gain more and more wisdom and knowledge as you devote more and more time to your passion and don’t give up on it. If you want to find what really gets you going, start with your lifestyle habits! Exercise, get in shape! You’d be surprised how many women don’t pay attention to little things like washing off their make-up before bed or the importance of sunscreen. When I was younger, this wasn’t brought to my attention, but it should have been.
F.E.T.: Travel, even if you think you can’t afford it. There are plenty of opportunities, although sometimes life doesn’t throw them at us, but they are still there. Every trip makes us more than who we were before. I think everyone should learn at least 1 world language, because if you can read in that language, you will see so much more of the world, and so many more doors will open for you. The other thing I say is if someone tells you they can’t, they can’t. Yes, you can, you have to work a lot for it, but you can.
