{"id":959,"date":"2017-03-08T12:05:34","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T12:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kent-business-matters\/?p=959"},"modified":"2017-03-08T12:05:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T12:05:34","slug":"5-career-changes-to-inspire-you-international-womens-day-beboldforchange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/2017\/03\/5-career-changes-to-inspire-you-international-womens-day-beboldforchange\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Career Changes to Inspire You – International Women\u2019s Day #BeBoldForChange"},"content":{"rendered":"

International Women\u2019s Day (IWD) has become a global celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women for their economic, political and social achievements. This year\u2019s IWD focus is #BeBoldForChange, which goes hand-in-hand with our quarterly content theme of Career Change and Change Management. Be inspired by women who embrace change.<\/p>\n

1.Martha Stewart<\/h2>\n

Martha Stewart is the American Lifestyle Guru who rose to prominence as the author of books on cooking, entertaining and decorating. Part of her brand also includes the magazine Martha Stewart Living and a series of internationally broadcast TV programmes.<\/p>\n

But Stewart began her career as a model and then moved into stockbroking, the profession of her father-in-law: \u201cI had been modelling since I was 13; I had put myself through college with my modelling money and helped my family. My goal was always to get to Wall Street and learn about American business.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

2.Sara Blakely<\/h2>\n

Before founding the American intimate apparel company SPANX, Blakely worked as a Disney World ride greeter and then a door-to-door fax machine salesperson. She had initially planned to become an attorney, but reconsidered after scoring a low grade on the Law School Admissions Test.<\/p>\n

Forced to wear tights in the hot Floridian climate for her sales role, Blakely disliked the appearance of the seamed foot while wearing open-toed shoes, but liked the way the control top made her waist and thigh area appear firmer. In her own words \u201cit all started with a pair of pantyhose, some scissors and a bright idea.\u201d SPANX became a household name, and Sara, an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs all over the globe.\"sara-blakely\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Blakely is now the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, and in 2012, was named in\u00a0Time\u00a0magazine’s \u2018Time 100\u2019 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. As of 2014, she is listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by\u00a0Forbes.<\/p>\n

3.Vera Wang<\/h2>\n

Vera Wang was a competitive figure skater during secondary school and competed professionally throughout her teens with her partner James Stewart. She turned to fashion when she didn’t make the 1968 U.S. Olympic team. She found success quickly as a fashion editor at Vogue and was promoted to senior editor at the age of just 23.<\/p>\n

After 15 years working at a magazine, and designing her own bridal gown, she decided to pursue her dream of designing bridal gowns. She is now arguably the most prominent designer of bridal wear in America.<\/p>\n