In partnership with Keds, we spoke to three formidable women about what it means to have purpose in our careers, and how we can all carve out more purpose in our working lives in 2021 – and beyond.

Now more than ever, we’re all thinking about the meaning of purpose in our lives – particularly within our careers. We’ve spent the best part of a year in lockdown due to COVID-19, during which we’ve experienced mass redundancies and a brutal recession, and learned to work from home in isolation. The past 12 months have been unprecedented, and they’ve undoubtedly had an impact on the world of work and what it means to women. This has led many of us to re-evaluate the purpose of our work and the meaning it holds, both to us and to society as a whole. But what does it really mean to have purpose in our career, and how can we carve out a professional life with a strong sense of purpose at its core? Purpose is everything. It’s what drives us, what gets us up in the morning, what keeps going when times get tough. And it can be that first spark of motivation to act. When Keds first set out, it was their purpose to create footwear that made women feel their best so they could be their best. It started when they created the first sneaker for women in 1916, and over 100 years later that purpose remains at the core of their brand values. This season, Keds’ campaign features women from around the world who have found and stepped into their purposedespite all odds. We sat down with three of those trailblazing women to talk about their inspiring journeys and to gather tips and words of advice to share with you. All three women spoke on AllBright's International Women's Day panel, sponsored by Keds, and all three also feature in the Keds 2021 Spring/Summer hand book. Intrigued? Read on...

Franzi Klein met her now-business partner, Tijana Tamburic, on a plane five years ago and co-founded Female Narratives, a collective of 100 female creatives that tell stories for brands, four months later. What does creating a career with purpose at its core mean to you? To me, it means that my personal sense of purpose is aligned with my professional purpose - and that what I do matters on a larger scale, beyond just generating an income. It means working in such a way that I feel passionate about what I do, and am doing something I believe in.  Why is it important to work with purpose? It’s two-fold, I think. On the one hand, when your personal purpose aligns with your work, you work more efficiently, you care more, and you doing things at 110%. Vice versa, work feels less like work, you flow, and you feel like you get a sense that what you’re doing serves a bigger purpose. In one sentence – you do your work better and you live a happier life!

How do you work with purpose? Check in with your own metrics and goals – are they aligned with the work you do and the way you do it? Are you doing the work you’re doing because it’s what you truly want, or because it gives you status or because of what other people expect from you?  I think a very direct way to figure this out is to check in how happy you are at the end of a work day or work week. If you feel accomplished and happy and light after you got things done, that’s a good indicator that the way you work is aligned with your personal purpose.  It doesn’t mean, though, that you never need a break, even if you feel like you’re fully working with purpose - it’s still work. And if breaks help you use your energy the best way you can, then that ultimately serves the bigger purpose.  What is your biggest piece of advice for others looking to work with purpose? Try and find your own, authentic purpose, both personally and professionally. Don't ask yourself if others would approve of it – ask yourself if that’s what you really want. Let go of your ego, too – it doesn’t matter what others think and at the end of the day, the worst betrayal is betraying yourself. Once you’ve found your purpose, don’t be too fixed on the outcome but instead focus on bringing the best quality into your actions. If you have no idea at all how to find your purpose, a good starting point is to connect with your 'inner child’. I have a two-year-old niece and it's so interesting watching her. Children don’t care about what others think when they do things.  Ask your parents what you really enjoyed doing as a child and explore that. Often it’s something we move to the background as societal pressure of building a career get greater. We live in this ‘go! go! go!' world and barely take time to stop and reflect on what we do and think about if we actually like doing it. No one ever regrets slowing down, so don’t rush too much.  www.FemaleNarratives.com Instagram: @femalenarratives

Lauren Chan started her career as a plus-size model in New York, before becoming fashion editor at Glamour, where she became one of fashion’s foremost experts on size inclusion. Having been disappointed by a lack of inclusive, high-fashion garments, she launched Henning, a luxury plus-size fashion brand. What does creating a career with purpose at its core mean to you?  The purpose of my career is to demarginalise plus-size women. At the end of each day, I can be proud of the work I do, knowing that it helps to create both systemic and personal change for the better.

How do you work with purpose?   For me, the key to working with purpose is creating an environment in which I have constant clarity and intermittent rest—when I get overwhelmed and inundated, it's hard to have the energy to be purposeful or intentional in my work. What is your one biggest piece of advice for others looking to work with more purpose?  Centre your work around what you would do for free. www.henningnyc.com Instagram: @henning  

Yanghee Paik is the co-founder and CEO of Rael, a clean feminine and skincare startup founded in LA in 2017 by three female entrepreneurs. Prior to this, Yanghee worked in corporate strategy, sales and marketing for almost 15 years, and is the driving force in growing Rael as a trusted, organic brand. What does creating a career with purpose at its core mean to you? To me, it means finding “meaning” in the work that I do and the time I spend at work. I don’t want my job to be just a job, but a platform for me to continue growing as a person and a leader and something that’s rewarding, so I can feel like I’m making contributions to make a better world and community.  Why is it important to work with purpose? Since I was a young girl, I’ve dreamed about being a global career woman who can make a positive impact on the world and other people’s lives. Fortunately (and unfortunately), my work has become what defines me, as I’ve made a lot of life choices focused on my career. It was my career dream that led me to leave home in Korea to come to the US for business school, then move to LA to work in Hollywood, and change my life upside and down once I made a decision to start Rael. It has been a long journey full of hardships and challenges, and I had many moments when I just wanted to give up. Yet due to the purpose I was pursuing in my work, I was able to stay motivated and persevere to overcome these challenges while following my dream. 

How do you work with purpose? There are many different meanings to purpose, but for me, it’s the impact I’m making on other people’s lives, mainly our customers and employees, and how much I’m growing to be a better person and leader through my work. At Rael, our mission is to empower women with healthier and more effective solutions for all their needs around their hormonal cycle. To that end, we’ve been working very hard to deliver on our promises with our product innovation, exceptional customer service, and philanthropic efforts. For my employees, I actively look for opportunities for them to grow, develop their skills, and have a clear career path at the company. Lastly, for myself, I’m constantly pursuing new challenges and learning from my mistakes to try to be a better businessperson and a leader.  What is your one biggest piece of advice for others looking to work with more purpose? You should first think about what matters the most to you. Work with purpose can mean many different things to different people, and it does need to be something that is dear to your heart in order for you to truly feel accomplished and fulfilled with it. I encourage everyone to think about a handful of things that could make your work more fulfilling and inspiring and try to narrow them down to a couple of things that are the most important to you. It can be about the product and service you sell or work on, but it can also be about your team management or the skills and knowledge you want to hone. So just think about what could make you happier and more fulfilled at work, and start with one thing at a time. www.GetRael.com Instagram: @Get_Rael

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