Women Are Redefining Freedom, Entrepreneurship, and Immigrant Storytelling

For Saloua Ibaline, entrepreneurship has always meant more than building a business – it’s been a way to reclaim agency, nurture community, and expand what’s possible. 

At 20, she immigrated to New York City with little more than determination and soon transformed her experience into a book amplifying the voices of immigrant women entrepreneurs across the U.S., celebrating their resilience, ingenuity, and community‑driven leadership.

After spending years living and working remotely in more than 30 countries, Saloua now blends storytelling, education, and strategy to help others craft sustainable, location‑independent lives grounded in freedom, purpose, and impact.

Saloua is redefining freedom, entrepreneurship, and immigrant storytelling.

Strong Leaders Stand With Their Allies

We all watched in horror and shock the White House meeting yesterday (2/28/25) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro makes a great statement:

"Strong leaders stand with their allies and they stand on their principles – and I believe we must continue to advocate for the values of freedom and liberty, not cower to dangerous dictators like Vladimir Putin."

And as Zelenskyy says, "It's very important to save our country, our values, our freedom and democracy."

I ask all women to #standwithUkraine and their valiant people.

Female Entrepreneurs Are a Major Driver of Business Startup Growth

Americans have started more new businesses last year than ever since data collection started and female entrepreneurs are a major driver of that growth.

New data from my company, Gusto, shows that women started half of all new businesses in 2023. This is compared to a mere 29% in 2019. Women-led businesses have proven uniquely resilient to tough economic conditions like persistently high inflation and interest rates, and they generated $2.7 trillion in revenue last year. 

For women, flexibility is the No. 1 reason for starting a business.  They want to have the freedom to decide how they work.

At Escape From Corporate America (EFCA), we have known this to be true since 2003 on the flexibility and freedom parts of Gusto's findings.  Here's what I said in 2003 when EFCA was launched:

"They [women] want freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money, and opportunities to leave a legacy -- all the things they once thought they would find within corporations."

Read the full article to learn how female entrepreneurs are a major driver of business startup growth.

The Burden of Having It All

The social revolution that liberated women has also presented us with even more demands. Most are still trying to map the line between freedom (escapism) and responsibility.

Read more here at Notre Dame's magazine Summer 2008 Issue with an article authored by Heidi Ardizzone.

And feel free to weigh in with your comments and thoughts.

King Was All About Achieving Acceptance For All People, Regardless of Race or Nationality

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I will be out of the office learning more about the man who helped achieve civil equality for African Americans. Hope you are doing the same.

There is a great day ahead. The future is on its side. It's going now through the wilderness, but the promised land is ahead.

-- King, Martin Luther Jr.

The Birth of a New Nation
Montgomery, Ala.
7 April 1957

Celebrating Birthday 3 and 231!

Happy Birthday No. 3 to Escape From Corporate America (my photo)!
Happy Birthday No. 231 to America (my husband's photo)!

Now go out and create your own kind of freedom.

AfghanMark

The Afghan Women’s Business Federation (AWBF) has created the new women’s rights certification trademark brand called “AfghanMark SM” which is a brand label (featured) that will be carried on future exported carpets made by Afghan women who are employed by the women-owned or women-managed carpet-making businesses that are members of the Afghan Women’s Business Federation of Afghanistan.

This is a major humanitarian, educational and business development breakthrough by Afghan women for Afghan women in the post-Taliban era of Afghanistan’s history.

Read more to appreciate Afghan women escaping to create their freedom and build their destiny too.

Separately and from the book "Women Who Changed The World:"

Chapter 32
Dorothy Hodgkin

She will be remembered as a great chemist, a saintly gentle and tolerant lover of people and a devoted protagonist of peace. ~ Max Perutz