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Meet Dr. Kristine Quade of ATHENA Valley of the Sun

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kristine Quade.

Dr. Kristine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I met the founder of ATHENA International, Martha Mertz about 4 yrs ago. Hearing her story of how she started her service on a Chamber Board of Directors as the first women 35 yrs ago and became aware that there needed to be more recognition of the contributions of women in business. She started the ATHENA Award. The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce just presented their 30th Awards.

Next came a Kellogg Research grant for a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership. Over 400 women were interviewed and the data resulted in the eight ATHENA Leadership Principles. Martha’s longing was that we would shift to a focus on the principles rather than an award.

So the ATHENA Valley of the Sun was started as an official Affiliate of ATHENA International in 2015. Since then, we have held monthly meetings to explore a singular principle at a time, started a Leadership Certificate program, are building a Young ATHENA program and are holding our second Awards on March 8–International Women’s Day. 🙂

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all. Starting something new is difficult, especially here in Arizona. There are many “networking” groups which is why we decided to price our meetings to have attendees think of this once a month time together as their personal development time–not a meeting to get new business. Building Relationships is one of the principles and that always leads to more collaboration etc. Not everyone wants to do the hard work of learning about their own authenticity or be vulnerable about what causes fear. But the is the path we choose to take at our meetings.

Starting our own Awards was difficult because everyone knew about the Phoenix Chamber Awards but not ours–which has a different focus, does not have the automatic support of local businesses, and is quite different in emphasis. This year we have a lot more traction because we have stuck to our primary mission: “Leave no women leader behind.”

In addition, we have started a Young ATHENA program for high school women so they can learn about the Principles and how they can guide choices and behaviors. We plan to grow this program during this next year which makes all struggles easier because we will be making a difference. 🙂

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ATHENA Valley of the Sun story. Tell us more about the business.
What sets us apart is that we are focused on leadership principles that are intuitive to women leaders. These can be women who are wanting to make a difference in their family, church, school, community, work, volunteer efforts or public service.

What makes us proud is that there are some amazing women in Arizona and we provide the place where we can come together to explore our differences as a learning experience rather than as a debate.

We, therefore, specialize in helping women to reach their full potential by using the ATHENA Leadership Principles.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t think I would identify luck as something that has influenced us. It is more about showing up authentically and being drawn to others who operate from the same principle…

Pricing:

  • Emerging Leader membership $200
  • Monthly luncheons $55

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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