Detail image for September 2023 Publisher's Blog.

Tawana Bain & Amelia Frazier

Living Sisterhood Out Loud

Written by Christine Fellingham & Tawana Bain

Anyone who knows me– even just a little bit– knows this to be true: “Sisterhood” is not just a word for me. It’s a way of life. I unapologetically surround myself with strong, supportive women who live authentically, show up consistently and are willing to step up and be not just sounding boards but real allies when life gets challenging. There’s no age, race, sexual persuasion that defines these women. It’s authenticity and chemistry. My sisters are women with whom I just click. And that means they have my back, and they know I have theirs– a rare and precious gift in a time when friendships can be as fleeting as a post on Instagram.

In my world, these women tend to bridge the gap or blur the boundaries between friends and colleagues, professional and personal. We forge deep connections, and we go hard for each other– whether it’s a two-hour brainstorming session on strategic planning or a late-night venting session about that man who’s at it again. While the traditional corporate culture may preach a separation of those two realms, in reality, men have been blurring these lines for years; the old boy’s or Bro’s club existed and continues to exist. Those golf course and country club meetings forged strong friendships and partnerships. The problem is not that business and friendship were co-mingled, but that this act was limited to white men; women rarely pushed the envelope to lean into establishing the “Old Women’s club”.

The answer is to have more authentic workplace relationships and partnerships. And to celebrate and seek the interest of building happier, more productive, and more rewarding work environments and more successful outcomes. Why would I– or anyone else– want to work with anyone who isn’t a true sister, supporter or ally and how can I expect to be successful without that kind of authentic collaboration?

I am enjoying success with blurring the lines of business. Even more so to do it out loud and proudly with the next exciting chapter in Today’s Woman’s history!  In a first-of-its-kind collaboration that could only happen between two women business owners, Tawana Bain owner/Publisher of Today’s Woman and Amelia Frazier, owner/publisher of The Voice Tribune are leveraging our sisterhood to create a bold new company in partnership with our dear friend JP Davis in the promotional merchandising space. It’s a bold, historic moment in which the owners of two trusted, long-standing local media entities form a third company to drive more value to each of our publication’s advertisers. It’s a gutsy move that reflects the need for adaptable, versatile media outlets– and we’re gutsy enough to do it. Together.

While Today’s Woman and the Voice Tribune will remain separate entities, having a sister to lean on in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field is exciting. And that’s not all we are doing to shake things up, through more collaboration, we have successfully launched into the Ohio Market as part of our dream of going national continues to unfold. We are ramping up our digital content to take Today’s Woman into its digital future; adding more monthly WSYS events; launching a redesigned weekly newsletter and– last but certainly not least– changing to a gorgeous quarterly print product that will be timed to key moments in the marketplace when readers are looking for information and clients are needing to connect with them. This reboot is starting in real-time and visible with our first foray into a national audience with our partnership with the Catch the Wave conference last month in Ohio. Expect to see more of the evolution in our first Fall/Holiday issue which will drop on October 1 and continue with new daily digital and social content as we move into 2024.

We enter this new chapter with excitement and energy that’s powered by authentic sisterhood, so we know we will succeed. Just watch us.

#TodaysSisters #WeSeeYouSis