Fairygodboss: How it started, why it started, and what it stands for!

We here at Drunk Yoga believe in women supporting women and Fairygodboss embodies exactly this. We are honored to have had the opportunity to interview the amazing Romy Newman, one of the founders of Fairygodboss! Romy talks about her inspiration for Fairygodboss and how it advocates for women in the workplace by offering them the information they need to make informed career choices. 

What inspired you to start Fairygodboss?

Fairygodboss was founded after my co-founder (who was my colleague) Georgene Huang, was suddenly fired from her executive role during a management shake-up and found herself unexpectedly looking for a job while two months pregnant. While interviewing, she wanted to ask certain questions — like, is work-life balance enabled at this company? Are women paid and promoted fairly? What’s the maternity leave policy? — but feared being stigmatized. She wanted to hear directly from other women about their experiences and how they overcame similar challenges. While working as a senior level executive and having two small children, I had faced similar challenges at work, so when Georgene approached me with the idea of Fairygodboss it was an easy decision to go on this adventure with her! 

When we first started it was literally me and Georgene working by ourselves in our apartments (and a lot of cafes!) and now, we have a team of almost 60 and are continuing to grow. Today, millions of women turn to Fairygodboss for a sense of community and to connect with other women. We’re obsessed with improving the workplace for women and believe the No. 1 way to do that is through transparency and women collaborating with each other.

What are the top three things you think we should be doing to support women’s growth in the workplace?

The first thing is unabashedly supporting and helping each other. The second is communicating clearly with male colleagues and involving them in our experiences and concerns. And the last is pushing on established expectations of what can and can’t be achieved. 

What advice do you wish you could give to women at three different career stages: just graduating from college, late 20’s/early 30’s, and at age 50?

For women at any stage of their career, I would advise they do research prior to accepting a job offer or negotiating a raise to help determine what is appropriate compensation. You can use salary databases like the one we have at Fairygodboss and other sources like Payscale. Another great way to determine the going market rate for a role (whether it’s a new role or one you’ve been at for a while) is to connect with a recruiter. I also believe it’s important to cultivate mentors and sponsors at every point in your career, but they are especially critical when you’re just starting out. Even more so, you must stay connected to your network whether that’s on LinkedIn, Facebook or Fairygodboss! Regardless of your age, your opportunities will come from the network you have created. 

What is an obstacle you’ve had to overcome that you’re proud of?

I think an ongoing challenge that I faced was that as I climbed the leadership ranks, I was often the only woman in the room, or the only woman on the team. I felt like I was sometimes judged for my ambition -- or even for my enthusiasm! And, I felt like I was overlooked for promotions because of my gender. 

What do you do when you’re not being a Fairygodboss?

I love spending time with my two wonderful children and my loving husband, and of course: yoga! I’ve been trying to hold my handstand in the center of the room for years -- and I’m excited to say that I’m FINALLY getting close. 

What part does yoga play in your life?

I came to yoga later in life, and I am now a devoted yogi. Having learned at a very early age to be really judgmental, it’s been huge for me to learn not to judge myself, to learn that you come to your practice and sometimes you do it really well and sometimes you do it terribly, but you don’t react to either. It’s just that you came to yoga and this was your practice today. 

Yoga has also taught me about practicing gratitude, and it’s really changed my life. Gratitude is a core pillar for me now, and I’m trying to teach it to my children.

What’s your favorite yoga pose?

I love inversions and arm balances. Much like in life and in my work experience, I love how in the practice you find yourself suddenly able to achieve poses you never thought you would. For that reason, I’d have to say Side Crow or Koundinyasana might be my favorite pose. I also love Halasana -- I need to “undo” everything I’ve done to my back on a daily basis. 

What brings you joy?

Giving back to my community and helping make the world a better place.