About the blog
Since moving to Houston in 2007, I have met many amazing
women. Some were born in Houston, some
chose Houston, and some were dragged here kicking and screaming. But all of them now love this city and
recognize it for the special part it plays in their lives.
These women may have successful careers, wonderful families,
strong passions, wild ambitions, creative gifts or deeply held beliefs, but
what they share is a commitment to making life better for the people around
them – at home, at work and in their community.
They recognize Houston as an inspiration in itself so I wanted to give
the city a chance to recognize some of its own Inspiring Houston Women.
Through this blog, you will not only hear these women talk, but
each one will also tell us of another Houston woman who has mentored, motivated,
challenged, led, befriended or supported her.* From one woman to the next we shall try to form a web of inspiration
linking the women of this city.
About me
I am Caroline Leech and I am proud to be a Houstonian by
choice though not by birth. I am a
writer, a wife and a mother. I arrived
in Houston from the United Kingdom in 2007, brought here by my husband’s work
when my children were all elementary school age. The people of Houston opened their arms to us
as a family and made us feel welcome from our very first day, which is
something that makes Houston a very special city. Even now, I couldn’t claim to know this city
well, but I can say I love this city and want to get to know it better each
day.
Over the last few years, I have met lots of wonderfully
impressive men, but it has been the women who have really spoken to me – either
personally or through hearing of their stories from other women. The examples they have set have inspired me
to stretch myself further, to value myself more, to enjoy my life, to give
something back and to try to inspire others.
How did I choose which
women to feature?
I started small. I
filled a couple of pages of my notebook with names of women I knew personally
or knew of, women who do something which I find inspires me to think deeper
about my life or look at how I can do things differently. I approached a handful of these women and
invited them to take part in the blog’s launch by telling me their story and I
asked each one to suggest someone else who had inspired them.*
From there, my list developed beyond my own very limited circle
of knowledge into industries and communities I would never personally have had
any lead into. At first, I deliberately tried to avoid the most obvious names – those women already
regularly honored for major achievements or for their generous philanthropy. I also tried to find a balance between industries, communities, natives/incomers
and cultural backgrounds. As the project
develops, I know I will not have to work so hard to find that balance because
the women I interview will do that job for me.
In fact, I have noticed that they often they cite someone from outside
their own field/community as their inspiration.
This list of Inspiring Houston Women is certainly not perfect,
it is not all-inclusive and it is entirely subjective. For every woman that is included, there are
hundreds who are not but might have been.
I wish I had the time, energy and contacts to celebrate every
inspirational woman in this city, but sadly I don’t. What I have tried to do, however, is offer a
sense of the wealth of spirit, passion, intellect, creativity and determination
which exists among the women of this city by spotlighting just a few Inspiring Houston Women in the hope that
you might find inspiration from them too.
What questions did I
ask?
The questions below formed a basic structure to the
interviews I did. Some women answered
them all, some went off on such fascinating tangents that some questions were
missed. But that was okay, I happily
followed them wherever they chose to take me as they talked.
·
Tell us a little about yourself – work, family,
background
·
Houston native or incomer - what is your Houston
story?
·
Who or what has been the greatest influence on
your life – personal or professional?
·
If you met a young person who was new to your
industry/community, what advice would you give them?
·
What does Houston mean to you?
·
Where’s your favorite place in Houston?
·
Where’s your favorite place to eat/drink in
Houston?
·
What’s your favorite Houston secret? (It could be a place, a person, a piece of
art, a view, a recipe, an event)
·
If you could change one thing about Houston,
what would it be?
·
Will you tell me about another Houston woman who
inspires you? (who is she, do you know her, why does she inspire you?) *
* In order to protect their privacy, I will only post the
citations at the foot of each interview once the women nominated have given their permission
