Women’s Day: Amazing Women Who Push Us Forward

Here at Zenni women impact all aspects of our business, from design to manufacturing, customer care, marketing, and everything in between. In honor of International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, we wanted to do a special blog post celebrating all women and highlight some exceptional Zennistas who push us forward everyday through their work.  And since our resident optometrist happens to be a woman, who better to start with than her!

Heidi wears #/p/tr-square-eyeglass-frames/20201?skuId=2020123″>2020123

What is your job?
My job is to discover the newest eyewear trends and curate new frame styles to enrich the Zenni catalog. I am also responsiblefor overseeing an overall healthy inventory level across the website, and working with our team in China to improve internal operational processes.

What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
When I come across people wearing Zennis in the real world and sharing their appreciation for having affordable yet fashionable eyewear.

What’s the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career?
From being a newbie in the optics industry to getting knowledgeable in how eyeglasses get manufactured, working on product development with designers/suppliers, and prioritizing production timelines for campaign launches. 

What advice would you give to women starting out in your field?
Soak up knowledge like a sponge to unlock your potential. I love learning and absorbing new information, but five years ago I would have never imagined that I’d be this obsessed with eyewear trends and be a frame buyer!

Jazmin wears /p/womens-tr-cat-eye-eyeglass-frames/20234?skuId=2023418″>#2023418

What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
Even though I’m behind the scenes, I think it’s awesome to see the progress and completion of major projects that we work on, especially when we’re on a major deadline.

What’s the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career?
I’ve always struggled with people who don’t take me seriously because of my gender, age, and appearance. 

What advice would you give to women starting out in your field?
My advice would be to not let other people’s opinions or doubt define you. Always do your best, be authentic, and let the results of those actions speak for themselves! 

Kala wears /p/tr-rectangle-eyeglass-frames/20235?skuId=2023525″>#2023525

What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
The most rewarding thing about being a crime scene specialist is being able to give the families of victims closure and justice. 

What’s the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career?
I think that the greatest challenge that I’ve had to overcome is having to stay strong and be okay after seeing things that aren’t typical for people to see at work. 

What advice would you give to women starting out in your field?
My advice is to be sure to get as much training as possible, and be sure that it is the profession you want to be in. 

Nic wears /p/plastic-round-eyeglass-frames/20186?skuId=2018639″>#2018639

What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
There’s nothing more powerful than making a reader out of a kid who claims to “hate books.” Kids want to be reflected in the media they consume, books included, so getting to provide that mirror to young people who aren’t used to having one is… there’s nothing like it. 

What’s the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career?
My own doubt about the power of my voice and stories! I feel like as a woman, and a black woman especially, for a long time I subconsciously bought into the lie that no one would listen to me if I spoke up. It took me a minute to realize those things were the opposite of what’s actually true. 

What advice would you give to women starting out in your field?
First, get used to rejection because it comes with the territory. Continue to believe in yourself and your work and the purpose therein. Second,  don’t stop pushing until you’ve achieved what you set out to do. 

Kate wears #/p/tr-square-eyeglass-frames/20201?skuId=2020115″>2020115

What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
In my line of work, people aren’t usually coming in for surgery or coming into the office because they want to. The most rewarding part is  knowing that the care I’m providing is making a positive impact in their lives through improving their health. 

What’s the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career?
The greatest challenge in my career has been to remember to care for myself too. As nurses, we often put ourselves and our needs last to provide high-quality care to our patients. When our shift is over, we need to make sure we are taking time for that mental, emotional, and physical self-care in order to feel and be our best selves both in and out of work. 

What advice would you give to women starting out in your field?
Be brave, be persistent, be kind, and always be open to learning and growing throughout your career. Nursing is such a diverse field with vast opportunities and with a strong heart, mind, and voice you can accomplish great things.

 

/b/new-arrivals”>Shop our new spring arrivals now for your next pair of statement-making glasses. Tag #zenniatwork to show us how you rock your frames on the job!