We all know the Spanx brand and its powerful female founder, Sara Blakely, who grew the shapewear company from her home to its recent sale to investment firm Blackstone at a valuation of $1.2 billion. Last week, I tuned into the 2021 Forbes Power Women’s Summit to listen to Blakely speak about the recent deal, and why she believes we’re at a pivotal moment for women in business.

“I feel the divine feminine rising,” shared Blakely, recalling the night that she decided to lead her company with “feminine principles” of intuition, empathy, kindness and vulnerability. Shortly after founding Spanx, Blakely was approached by a few men at a cocktail party who told her that “business is war.” She immediately rejected that idea and instead relied on her intuition to run her business. Now, she looks back at her successful balance of both feminine and masculine principles and wants other women to feel empowered to do the same.

Furthermore, Blakely noted that the rise of feminine energy in business is beneficial to men, too. “It’s giving this permission in the workplace in corporate America that maybe that’s not a weakness. Maybe being feminine is actually a strength and needs to be harnessed, and needs to have a voice at the table.”

I don’t know about you, but this is absolutely the energy that I need to kick off the new year! Here’s your sign to allow yourself to feel the divine feminine rising alongside Sara Blakely, and take that inspiration to fuel your leadership principles and beyond.

You can also celebrate the power of feminine leadership with over 400 fellow women retail executives by joining us for the 2022 Women in Retail Leadership Summit, happening April 25-27! Attendees will experience three days of inspiration, content and connections with our powerful community at the beautiful and elegant Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami. Registration is now open; we can’t wait to see you there!