>> Nathalie, why don't you talk about
who are some of the women who influenced you growing up?
>> So certainly my grandmother.
She is still alive and kicking in France.
She's a strong 95 years old and she in an era
where women were exclusively in the home and running family,
and she really was the pillar of the family then.
And just for someone not having education per se
as far as academics
she certainly had the education of life
and teaching me that always pushing myself
outside of my comfort zone, exuding confidence,
and just going with your gut which I think is a skill set.
It's something that we have in particular as women.
We have a good sense of intuition
and if something doesn't sound right,
or it doesn't feel right more than likely it's not right.
And she was very, very pivotal
in teaching me that type of life lesson.
And then of course my mother.
My mom had me at a very, very young age.
She was 17, I was born in France
and that was frowned upon being born so long ago
and she in fact did not get her
GED until I was in 7th grade.
But she is one of the wisest women I know.
She has always encouraged me to set my goals high
and for someone not having again
that traditional education of a college degree
or whatever she brings so much to me
as far as teaching to me to be a good mother,
common sense, priorities, and the ability to multi-task.
So I mean, and of course role models through history
and I was predominantly in male career paths up to now.
I was in the military as well,
but we tend to look for those even in the military ranks,
the few women that were there as setting the trends
and setting goals
and they seem to have the same sort of practical applications
of be true to yourself, listen to your gut,
keep your priorities in check,
and exude confidence and you'll be fine.
>> How about you, Debbie?
>> Definitely my mom who is still around
and who continues to inspire me.
She is a retired police officer and--
>> Oh, cool. >> Went through the academy
in the 70s.
A period of time where there weren't that many women
who went through police academy.
I was thinking about this and growing up
she never spoke much about her experiences.
It wasn't till more recently did she start to describe
to me sort of the challenges that she faced in that role
and the different experiences that she had,
the support that she had amongst her colleagues.
And from that I've really learned sort of the strength
that she had
and to overcome sort of in her professional role
wherein I only saw her in her personal role
and I find that to be incredibly inspiring.
And now being a mother myself
I really appreciate the challenges
she must have faces in keeping that balance.
>> What about you, Tonya?
>> I think there's a common theme here in that
I didn’t have to look far for someone to look up to
because my mother was my role model growing up as well.
She was also a Federal Government employee
who started as a co-op in college
and by the time she retired
she was the acting regional director within her agency.
So I saw her put in 36 years with the same agency
where she was dedicated, rose through the ranks.
The entire time she taught me
the importance of time management
as other ladies have said
because while working she also made sure
that my sister and I made it to soccer practice,
and volleyball, and softball, and piano, and violin lessons,
gymnastics, church youth meeting, everything.
I don't know where she found the hours in the day.
She also helped us with our homework
when we came home in the evenings
and she was just a wonderful example as I became older
and started to enter the job market.
She taught me about dressing for success,
she did mock interviews with me,
she taught me about financial planning and management
and I mean, even now as an adult in this career
and knowing that I was participating on this panel
she sent me an encouraging text in the morning.
So she's just always been that person, you know?
Business woman, wife, mother, and she wears a cape.