I am excited to announce that you can now find Pay Her More and Fix Systems Not Women mugs at The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs!
I've admired Sarah Lacy, one of the shop's owners, since reading her memoir A Uterus is a Feature Not a Bug back when I was first divorced and commuting across the Bay Bridge to a second job, trying desperately to re-stabilize my career. I would listen to her cautionary tale of getting pneumonia from over-extending herself, before putting my kid to bed then staying up until 2am planning my next lecture or grading assignments. It really changed my perspective on trading my wellbeing for lines on my resume.
Sarah also founded the networking and skill-sharing platform Chairman Me. After leaving tech, I took the Build It: The Feminist Guide to Launching Your Small Business taught by Amanda Munday and by the end, started Equal Clay. I've also taken Negotiate Like a Girl with Katherine Valentine which gave me new insights into the biases that people have against women when we ask for what we need. While I don't believe it's women's responsibility to change our behaviors to keep others comfortable, having strategies to deal with this expectation is invaluable. Last but not least, I was humbled to hear Sarah reflect on my healing in the Speaking Out Without Blowing Up Your Career mini course— especially since my career did blow up. Without regrets, I wonder how my trajectory would have changed if that course had existed, and someone had pointed me to it, while I was still employed.
Over the past year I've watched Sarah and Paul start their inclusive independent bookstore. Much like the above projects, the shop celebrates and amplifies voices that I'm excited to learn and hear more from. I feel humbled that my mugs get to be part of it.