IWD 2021 #ChooseToChallenge – Part 2

Deidre “Trang Back” Lewis – National bikini athlete

While she is a research officer for a living, Deidre Lewis doubles up as a national bikini athlete for Jamaica. She is the reigning Miss Jamaica Bikini Fitness Overall Champion and RJR Sportswoman of the Year (2019) for the sport of bodybuilding.

“I consider myself to be an upcoming stalwart in an unconventional sport for my country. I had to earn the right to compete internationally in Jamaica first and foremost. I want the world to see that Jamaicans are not only good at track and field. I also want onlookers to feel inspired by my efforts when trying to embark on their fitness journey so as to become the best version of themselves.”

While it is still one of the less popular sports locally especially among women, Lewis is pleased that Jamaican women are growing stronger in bodybuilding.

“Women are no longer afraid of looking ‘manly’ as some would say, because they are realising that it’s not the case. Women are becoming more informed and achieving the look they want. We feel more confident, we feel stronger and we are healthier. Who doesn’t want that for themselves?”

The misconception that women who do bodybuilding look too ‘masculine’ is one of the most prominent stereotypes that plague the sport.

“This perception emerged from misinformation and rejection of proper information,” Lewis argued. “It is sometimes difficult to penetrate the minds of some people, but I often #ChooseToChallenge this by explaining to them how that ‘manly’ look is achieved, show them pictures of myself and other competitors with attainable physiques and speak about the various divisions that women with different body types and preference can enter. The bottom line is that our definition of health or femininity does not have to fit a script but should be something that makes us look and feel healthier.”

Ingrid Riley – CEO, Rebel Grrl Media Group

As the entrepreneur behind a women-first digital media, commerce and events company that amplifies women-led businesses and brands that market to women, Riley focuses on three things every day: leading her team to create, market, and distribute our own media brands.

“Having been in the tech industry for 15 years on various levels, the absence of women pitching digital-first businesses, and lack of women in the C-Suite of tech companies and businesses was palpable,” Riley noted. “In many rooms I was alone or one of a few.”

That’s one of the reasons why she chose to evolve and expand from SiliconCaribe to develop Rebel Grrl Media Group. “The business opportunity around centering women-led businesses and brands that are catering to the needs and dreams of women in this digital age is exciting.”

Her driving intention, she divulged, is to leverage all things digital to make some significant changes to the face of tech and business in the Caribbean, and ultimately the world.

“Young girls and women need to see more of who they can be. They need to have the data, trend information, read, watch and listen to the stories of other women on digital publications, digital platforms, events, inside networks and online communities,” Riley urged. “This allows them to find their tribe, and to realise that there are many ways to be in this world, so they can learn, connect, think and do differently and embrace themselves, as they are unique in this world.”

Shauna-Kay Kelly – Financial trader and treasurer, JMMB

Though women have been increasingly present in the banking sector over the past few decades, trading and treasury still remains a male-dominated area in the industry. In her capacity as trader and treasurer at JMMB, Kelly is not only involved in the buying and selling of financial assets, but she also delves into treasury management, which involves the management of liquidity and financial risk. “Treasurers are the bridge makers in the economy,” she explained. Women make up only about 30 per cent of of local trader and treasurers.

“The biggest barrier for women in trading is the perception that women are risk averse, too emotional and not aggressive enough to excel in this area,” Kelly shared. “I #ChooseToChallenge this belief about women and demonstrate that women are the best money managers. Women have the capability to think critically, and the temperament required for trading and treasury management, even as they balance their roles as wives and mothers. I #ChooseToChallenge it as a role model to my daughter and other little girls, as I want them to know that one’s gender is not a boundary that prohibits success in any field, even in a male-dominated one. Instead, hard work and commitment begets success!”

Natalie Irving-Mattocks – Executive Director, Caribbean Training and Education Center for Health (C-TECH)

Irving-Mattocks has worked at the national, regional and international levels in health, particularly HIV/AIDS response and programming, for the past 17 years. As the executive director of C-TECH — a regional organisation that supports countries in successfully addressing the health workforce and health system challenges — she provides managerial and technical guidance to ensure cohesion between its goals and objectives and its programme design, implementation and evaluation.

“Statistically, women form 70 per cent of workers in the health sector, but like representation across other fields, there are fewer women in senior leadership positions,” she shared. “Whilst women can be found at all levels in the health sector — there are challenges when it comes to advancement to senior leadership roles. More often than not they remain in middle management positions.”

She also pointed out that when women are oftentimes held to a higher standard than their male counterparts, “Women are expected to work harder and deliver more results in order to be viewed as qualified or as accomplished as their male counterparts”. “In my professional life, I have always sought to provide my colleagues with an enabling environment to perform at their best and excel in all areas of their lives both professionally and personally. I #ChooseToChallenge these barriers every day because as a woman leader, it is my duty to support the empowerment and autonomy of women. When everyone comes together to support women, we can be so much stronger.” 

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IWD 2021: 21 women #ChooseToChallenge[/naviga:h4][naviga:h4 class=”entry-title”]

IWD 2021 #ChooseToChallenge – Part 3[/naviga:h4][naviga:h4 class=”entry-title”]

IWD 2021 #ChooseTochallenge – Part 4[/naviga:h4][naviga:h4 class=”entry-title”]

IWD 2021 #ChooseToChallenge – Part 5[/naviga:h4]