Failure is an Option
I have been looking forward to the Susannah Wellford interview all week. Susannah Wellford is a lawyer who founded the organization Running Start. Running Start’s goal is to get more women into politics regardless of their political views. Cecily and I worked together on this interview for the past two days on all aspects of the process, writing, reassuring, editing, and ordering of questions. We were both really proud of the result that we put together. Susannah Wellford had a series of articles talking about everything from gender to fighting sexism in the workplace, all of which subjects I really care about and was looking forward to hearing about more.
One of the major takeaways from this interview was how to support women and fight against sexism. One thing that she recommended to us was to not be compliant. She admitted that as difficult as it is, it’s incredibly important that we call out sexist behaviors when we see them. It’s okay to make people uncomfortable, and it might lead to unforeseen consequences for women, but calling out this behavior makes it less normalized. Overall, her advice to women was to support and bolster one another.
A moment that really made me emotional was when she gave her advice to men and white individuals regarding how to support women and all people of color. Her advice for amplifying our voices is to validate the things we have to say, acknowledge what we have to say, and make it known. This advice resonated with me because as a woman of color there are times when I feel ignored. I am very vocal about the things I believe in, and I always try to fight back when something infringes on my values. However, I don’t always think that what I have to say is worthwhile. Validation from my peers keeps me going, making me feel that my fight for justice is worth continuing.
“We cannot take any of our rights for granted.”
This is what Susannah Wellford said when asked about how we as young people can maintain our passion for politics even when everything seems to be going wrong. Going into our third day of interviews in Washington DC, I was especially excited to interview Susannah Wellford, the founder of Running Start, an organization dedicated to providing women with the confidence and experience to run for office. Both of my sisters had previously interviewed her, and they both expressed to me how much they had enjoyed talking to her.
Going in with such high expectations, I was a little nervous, but as the interview progressed those worries melted away. Talking to Susannah was one of the most insightful conversations I have had, as she answered every question we had with ease and eloquence. At one point in the interview, we began talking about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Susannah said, “Be angry about changes that could affect your freedom” and went on to talk about how we must not become complacent about protecting women’s rights. This thought really struck me, because recently people have become too comfortable with the idea that everything is going to be okay, and her words reminded me that there is still work to be done.
Throughout the interview, Susannah shared a plethora of knowledge and information on how women and men can work together to create a more accepting work environment. She also talked about the work that she does with young women to change the way the political environment is structured, which excited me about the future of politics. At another point, when asked about failure, Susannah talked about how failure is necessary and something that should be normalized. As a young woman who often feels pressure to be perfect, hearing such an incredibly accomplished woman talk openly about her own failures and even advocating for the benefits of failing—was encouraging and comforting. It is necessary to remind young women everywhere that they are good enough, and that failure is inevitable and necessary.
Video: Susannah Wellford, “Diversity in Politics”
A short clip from our Zoom interview with Susannah Wellford, Founder and CEO of Running Start, on May 5th, 2020.
Connection Through Vulnerability
Interview with Susannah Wellford
Today we had the privilege to interview Susannah Wellford, the founder and CEO of Running Start, a nonprofit organization that works to encourage women to pursue a career in politics.
Though our interview with Susannah Wellford had a little bit of a rocky start due to our preparation time being cut short, it was smooth sailing from the first question onward. I think I speak for the whole group when I say that she was incredibly respectful towards each one of us. It was small things, such as saying hello to us individually before we would ask our questions and really listening to what we were trying to ask, that made this interview incredibly personal and memorable. As someone who has participated in quite a few interviews, I’ve never really felt this personal connection towards our interviewee so quickly. Her willingness to be open, honest, and humble was an integral part of making this an interview that I took a lot away from and can apply to my own life.
Susannah Wellford’s words had a profound impact on me, specifically how I view myself and the actions I take. One of the questions we asked her had to do with the pressures she feels to act and look a certain way due to being a woman with a high-profile position. Her response was incredibly heartfelt and honest. She spoke to the fact that knowing she wasn’t alone in sometimes feeling that she wasn’t good enough or deserving enough for the opportunities that came her way was something that kept her motivated and kept her working. As a senior in high school and as a person who is living through a pandemic, these words meant a lot to me. Being at home has left a lot of room for me to reflect on who I am as a person: the good sides and the bad. I’ve found that the judgements I make about myself often stop me from pursuing the things I want to achieve. I’ve discovered all these flaws about me that I feel pressure to fix by the time I go to college. Susannah Wellford’s response helped me realize that I don’t have to change or “fix” anything about myself. It’s not an issue that I have, per se, rather it is an issue that we all carry with us, and thus I believe we should solve it together. We do this through programs such as Running Start and through raising kids of all ages, genders, races, and backgrounds to believe that they can achieve anything they want. I walked away from today’s interview excited to start my journey in college, and I’m grateful that Susannah had so much to share with us. It gives me hope for my future, as well as for the future of the generations who will come after me.
Today, we had the experience of interviewing Susannah Wellford. I was very excited about this interview after learning about her. I was given the opportunity to research about her and come up with questions for the interview. I really wanted to think hard because I didn’t want to ask a question that had already been answered in previous interviews and I wanted to ask a question that was personal to me.
Susannah Wellford was a very welcoming, and relatable person. She looks at situations that some might say are bad and turns them into something positive. She sees hope in young leaders, and believes that someday the United States will be run by women. I was blown away by how she reaches out to everyone in the room. I think the reason she has so much success is that she is easy to talk to, and she fully wants to understand you. She made it clear to me that she is struggling with the same things I am. When you get older your struggles don’t just go away, but you will have more solutions. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to meet and speak with Susannah Wellford, and I am definitely not going to forget it.
Having a quick turnaround from one interview to another this morning, I was worried that I would have a hard time focusing on our second interview. However, as soon as Susannah Wellford began talking, I knew that this interview was going to be a fun and inspiring one. Right from the beginning, Wellford joined the call with a big smile on her face and a very nice positive energy. When she began talking to our teacher Ward, she was friendly, which was expected since they have known each other for a long time. But, the real shock to me was when she started speaking to us, the students, and had that same friendly interaction with us. I got to ask the first question of the interview, and when I introduced myself, she immediately replied with a, “Hi Haley!” and continued to refer to all the students after me by their names as well. This brought a very personal feeling into the entire interview, which created the space for the openness that she would later reveal.
Aside from Susannah Wellford’s friendly attitude towards us, her openness with kids that she had just met was the other thing that struck me in the interview. When asked a question about how she navigates pressure to exceed expectations and feelings about herself worth, she told us about how she still wonders if she can do certain things. She said that she spent a lot of her life worrying that she wasn’t right or didn’t know enough. She explained that knowing everybody has insecurities can be extremely liberating and puts our own internal barriers and self-confidence struggles in perspective. Hearing this was liberating, because sometimes when I see people on TV or in leadership positions, it’s hard to imagine that they are battling the same internal struggles that a lot of us are. Talking about this topic made the interview relatable and contributed to the friendly feeling that she had already instilled.
One specific thing that Susannah said about the topic of insecurity really stood out to me. She told us to try to be very kind to ourselves and have another voice to shut down the one that says you’re not good enough. I really appreciated this outlook because in the past I have heard people say to try to get rid of the voice in your head that tells you you’re not good enough. This is extremely difficult and makes it seem like we are somehow “wrong” for having that voice. However, the way that Wellford said it put a positive spin on it and told me that it is OK to have that voice in our head, because everybody does. However, we should also try to have another one to combat that voice and tell us that we can do anything and that we are good enough. Susannah Wellford told us that it is OK to feel like that, but not to let it stop us.
This is the main message that I took away from the interview and plan to integrate into the new chapter of my life in college, surrounded by new people and new opportunities.
During the interview with Susannah Wellford, she talked with us about how one to one connection can be the most powerful thing in creating deeper and higher quality of thinking, as well as expanding your views in a positive way. I often notice that people seem to view leadership as something that dominates, and dictates to others who are assumed to not be capable of their own direction, and purpose. However, Susannah Wellford seems to reinvent this conventional model of leadership, through pushing people into deeper and broader levels of thinking on a quantitative and qualitative level. She brings to light the realities of what many women experience as they go through the process of self-discovery and self-realization.
From this experience, I have learned that we hold people to standards that sometimes we don’t even notice. Her way of looking at the complex issues that women face, is not watered down by complex terms and explanations. Susannah Wellford used real life examples and the realities that she and other women face as they go through daily life to broaden our horizons.
Susannah Wellford has also managed to grow Running Start from nothing, into a diverse, and driven model that aims for positive growth. This is because the leadership of the organization is not afraid to set high expectations for itself and admit when things can be done better.
Susannah Wellford struck me as a strong leader who pushes young individuals forward with the message that they are just as capable and needed as every other person out there. In life, and in the future, we need to recognize leaders like Ms. Wellford because they are some of the most effective and powerful leaders out there.
Before our meeting with Susannah Wellford, I had only ever participated in four interviews with Mount Madonna School, and two of those interviews were in the last two days. Of those four interviews, I had only spoken in two of them and I was extremely nervous to speak directly to someone of such prestige, in front of thirty. In preparation, I watched the 2016 Mount Madonna School interview with Susannah Wellford, in which my brother participated. Watching her interactions with other people our age lessened my nerves.
My anxiety before the interview skyrocketed, however, when we were all almost late because our previous interview ran over a bit. Nevertheless, we joined the interview in the nick of time and were greeted with Susannah Wellford’s welcoming expression. It was then that most of my anxiety ceased and was replaced with a determination to talk to her and live up to her expectations of us and our questions.
What amazed me the most about Susannah Wellford was the way she responded to us, teenagers, with humility and respect that I’m not used to receiving from adults, especially those of whom I have only just met. By just putting in the effort to greet all of us, remember our names, and think so deeply and personally about our questions, she garnered our respect as an amazing human. She was so honest with us about her own insecurities that several of us, myself included, cried and got emotional near the end of the interview. Overall, Susannah Wellford is an amazing person and influencer. She has the ability to connect with people on a level that not everyone can, especially thousands of miles away, over a computer. I am grateful for this experience and I hope that we will have the opportunity to talk with her more in the future.
Video: Melanne Verveer and Susannah Wellford 2018
Filmed and edited by Devin Kumar.
Hope and Empowerment Through Diversity
-Susannah Wellford is the founder of Running Start and Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC)
-Melanne Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and was the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, and former Chief of Staff for First Lady Hillary Clinton
This morning we had the privilege of going to the Cosmos Club for breakfast. Since 1878 the club has been a place for intellectuals of many different professions and interest to come together. The building itself was only a few blocks away from our hostel, but stepping into it was almost like stepping back in time. It was beautiful and elegant, and it was something I knew I could only experience because of this trip.
Just a few questions into the interview with Melanne Verveer, I could already see how much she cared about women’s rights as human rights, but she wasn’t just passionate—she was experienced and knew the facts behind her passion. When 30% of the decision makers are women, it reaches a critical mass of representation and as a result companies are more successful in performance. So it can even be in a company’s self-interest to elevate qualified women into board roles. It just makes sense to support diversity.
Sometimes I feel like we aren’t making any progress in women’s rights when I read the news and hear about the violence, lack of education, underrepresentation, and health care issues affecting women worldwide. But Verveer told us stories of hope. In the villages of Senegal it was common for women to go through female genital mutilation (FGM) as a social rite of passage. It was considered necessary if women wanted acceptance by the community and a good life. She spoke with the women of one village, and they told her how they wished they could end this practice. It caused many health issues and pain for the women, but without it they were outcast from the community. Although the country implemented some protections for women, nothing stopped—until Verveer was able to work with the men and women of the villages to communicate what was really at stake in the issue. In democratic discussions the decision was made to end the practice, and because other villages intermarry, the leaders encouraged all surrounding villages to end FGM. Real change happened. Verveer said, “Ending a practice doesn’t begin and end with changing a law.” Personally I have always had difficulty engaging in politics because it felt disconnected from real people to me, but on this trip I am starting to understand how policy and people can come together to move toward equality.
Today was our second day of interviews in DC. We had the amazing opportunity to interview both Melanne Verveer and Susannah Wellford. Both of these women are inspiring because they have broken new ground in areas that need improvement, especially regarding women’s progress in society. I found both of these women to be not only very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, but they were also very honest when answering our interview questions.
Melanne Verveer is a very strong and powerful woman. This interview was a little bit different from the other ones so far because we had the chance to eat breakfast at the glamorous Cosmos Club with Melanne Verveer. I was pretty nervous at first, but the moment she came into the room and talked to us freely, I immediately sensed her authentic and wise personality. What I took away from this interview was that countries around the world can still maintain their culture while undergoing change to the desire and rights of their citizens. The most important things I learned were: stay present to your circumstances, use the power you have to determine your purpose, and that we are still working at equality between genders to allow a non-biased opinion of people, especially those in power.
Susannah Wellford is an incredible woman with a very personable nature. Her comforting presence radiated with a positive and very authentic aura. The advice I most resonated with was to take happiness over success/money when deciding what path to take in life. By staying present and in the moment instead of “letting yourself get in the way,” the fear of failure is filed down a little bit and awareness kicks in. As I am still exploring what I would like to study in college, this honest advice was short and simple, but very impactful for me. Wellford spoke honestly and openly about the fear of failure many people hold, and that by embracing failure one can become stronger. Another important lesson related to this is when she spoke about how practicing confidence when you are struggling can actually grow real confidence. From Susannah I learned that asking for help from a mentor, or someone you admire, is not a bad thing. Instead, asking for advice can allow you to grow as a person, as it helps you reach goals that may be hard to attain without some guidance. I also learned that competing against other people who you assume are “better” than you does not improve your circumstances; instead, use other people as resources, not for competition.
Both Susannah Wellford and Melanne Verveer spoke about diversity and how it enhances the richness in life. Susannah touched on how we are often comfortable in our own bubbles, and it causes us to have a hard time opening up to diversity and others’ views and opinions. But, once we learn to open our minds to what we are not familiar with, we can embrace diversity. Melanne Verveer spoke about diversity as well, specifically about how universities with high rates of diversity provide a “richer experience” because there are people who are not just like you; learning about other people’s backgrounds and views can allow you to become a more well-rounded person.
The trip so far has been an absolute blast, and I am continually inspired and in awe as each new day is met. Today is my third day here, and I have just started to adjust to the pretty dramatic shift of the East Coast. The architecture is breathtaking and satisfying to the eye, the Metro train system is an absolute exhilarating experience, and the hustling of all the confident people here is exciting and has totally propelled our group to strut in our sleek clothes to mirror them. The East Coast street life has so far taught me to be precautious of the wild drivers as well as pedestrians because one grown man has already screamed at me for being in his way.
As far as interviews go, I’ve begun to understand the process more deeply and appreciate it. Creating a question for these influential politicians and leaders is usually challenging for me; however, after some research I can more comfortably get in touch with what I really want to know or take away from the interviewee. I came to this realization today when we interviewed Susannah Wellford. This was a woman that I chose to research in the pre-trip process, and I even got a sense then of what a wonderful woman she is.
The interview felt very much like a casual conversation as Susannah was really approachable and was an overall warm and kind woman. She spoke to us on a common ground, and my classmates and I were able to relate with her easily and really take into account the valuable advice and stories she shared. The fact that she has cultivated her ideas into creating Running Start, her organization empowering women to run for office and participate in politics, was very inspiring to me and was what drew me to her in the first place. From Susannah, I took away positivity, the gleaming future that my generation has the capability of attaining, and how young voices really can be heard. She instilled hope in me.
Since I’m a junior in high school, who doesn’t have any idea which direction to take going into college, she really helped me understand why that is no big deal. She mentioned that many successful people she knows didn’t take a direct path in their lives; they explored many different things and pursued the different directions that opened up, the “zig-zag path.” She said, “Happiness encompasses everything. If you have something that makes you happy, then you are successful.” This moment struck me because it really ensured the direction I want my life to go, to really pursue something that brings light and joy and gives me daily motivation. Another light that was brought up by Susannah was her view on diversity. She spoke about the happiness she feels when gathering young women across the nation for one of her summer programs and sees the immense diversity in the girls. I connected this perspective she had with that of Melanne Verveer, whom we interviewed this morning at breakfast in the Cosmos club.
Melanne Verveer said, “When people around you are different, that’s a rich part of life.” She accounted that our American culture is critically defined by our diversity and that is what we thrive on. Melanne impacted me instantly with her gleaming kindness and wisdom. She was very interested and wanted to learn about us as much as we wanted to learn about her, which resulted in a very impactful interview.
I really look forward to the rest of the trip, and I’m keeping a very open mind in order to soak up information and get meaning out of the experience.
Today we had an interview with Susannah Wellford. The first thing I noticed about her was her confidence and energy. She talked with so much hope that it gave me hope for the future. I never once doubted anything she said because she seemed to believe in herself so much. About halfway through the interview she mentioned that everyone struggles with confidence. This was a huge surprise to me because I couldn’t imagine that would be true of her. She told a story about how she brings in women to talk to younger girls about women’s rights. She said that even these women would second-guess their performance right after talking to the girls about being confident. This struck me because I do the same thing.
Even just today when I asked Susannah my question, I stressed out about the one word that I had said a little off. I never realized that women with jobs that call for so much confidence might be going through anything similar to what I do when faced with something nerve-racking. Her advice was to remind yourself that you belong. Older women who seem “perfect” to girls my age have their own struggles as well. The fact that they can rise to do such great things gives me hope. It gives me confidence just knowing that I am not the only one and that I can do whatever I want to do as long as I believe I can.
Today we interviewed Susannah Wellford, founder of Running Start, an organization that encourages young women to join politics. The interview was so enjoyable; Wellford was absolutely amazing and inspiring from the second she walked in the room. She speaks with such confidence on the truth of the political climate, but remains optimistic while doing so. I loved how passionate and driven she is to inspire young women, which is exactly what she did in our time speaking with her. After every question, she took the time to really think about and construct what her answer would be. The whole interview was extremely interesting, but there were a few things that stuck out to me.
She said that no matter what choices you make, even if they’re the best ones, inevitably there will be difficulties. Keep going even if failure is a possibility. What matters are the choices you make regarding how to act towards your circumstances. It helps to allow ourselves to process pain and be able to feel it for a little while. Let it sink in, and then move on. This lets us process and see what’s good in our lives, which we then appreciate more.
She also spoke about the constant pressure women have to measure themselves against each other, which really stuck out to me. The constant competition of beauty and success that comes with social media, jobs, and even cosmetics ads is so prevalent in every woman and girl’s life, especially for teenagers like myself. I also related this to my transition to college, and the constant fear that every other girl at my school will be better than me. I want to pay attention and highlight this because I know that if I go into it with that barrier of fear and judgment, it will completely affect my learning experience, and my ability to make friends as well. Everyone, including young women like me, needs to stop putting women down, and start being positive and supportive in order to change our society for the better.
Today was our second day of interviews in Washington DC. This afternoon we spoke with Susannah Wellford, a highly intelligent and confident woman who clearly portrays her knowledge about the subject of women empowerment. She is a single mother with twin boys and the head of her own successful nonprofit organization called Running Start.
As soon as Susannah sat down, she had already started up conversations with the people around herself. Her warm smile was inviting and lasted throughout the interview, which made it effortless to ask her questions. When people asked questions, she was delighted to answer and treated it more like a conversation. Each time she answered a question, you could tell she put a lot of thought into her answer in a short amount of time.
After answering all of the questions, she asked us two questions. The first question was about how the previous election had inspired us and the second question was what were the biggest internal problems in our lives. Both these questions had instant responses, which indicated how enthralled everyone was in the interview. For each answer she gave a personal piece of advice on overcoming these internal struggles. Before she left the room, everyone swarmed her to shake her hand and talk to her, but unfortunately she had to leave all too soon due to her busy schedule. The amount of energy left in the room was immense and a majority of the people said that this was their favorite interview yet.
