With over ten million people affected directly and indirectly, RME has already transferred more than R$40 million in investments
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If she had followed her true will, Célia Kano would have taken the fine arts entrance exam. If I had to force a coincidence between what I liked and what was considered a more promising profession, the path would be architecture. But the degree she chose when enrolling in the entrance exam to the University of São Paulo was the unlikely mechatronics engineering. The wisest decision, in his opinion, would have been to put on protective boots and goggles and follow his father’s path.
It doesn’t take much talking to know that Célia has grasped, without reservation, the lesson about what it means to be a good daughter. “I chose engineering to please my parents,” admits the fourth-generation Japanese descendant in Brazil. Having made the decision, Célia embarked on a corporate journey that lasted just under ten years. “I felt a little disconnected from working for big companies. I opened Google and did research on social impact initiatives. We use Google as a coach, right?” she noted in the latest episode of the podcast. Valle del Supplicio.
This “coach” who answers our doubts could not have been more precise in the option he presented to her: the work of the banker Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2006 for his career which, among other steps, was marked by the creation of the Grameen Bank, the bank of the poor, in Bangladesh. Célia resigned, packed her bags and headed to Dhaka for a two-month immersion in the organization. It is an immersion that interrupted the linear and insipid company trajectory.
These 60 days of immersion in a culture where concepts of poverty, oppression and machismo are given entirely new meanings were catalysts for a profound transformation. Greeman Bank only grants microcredit to women and, depending on the line, the family home must be in the borrower’s name, which is unthinkable in the local culture. The consequence was the reduction of the imbalance in the balance of social power, in which the greatest burden, as it does not take much effort to imagine, fell on man.
“Your investment thesis [Yunus] They are women as social levers. The woman is the one who will invest in the education of her children. You will decide what to buy on the market. But we were segregated. In society and in the business world.”
Speaking of regenerating yourself
“What persists is always what regenerates”, said the French philosopher and poet Gaston Bachelard. And if Célia Kano is today co-CEO of Rede Mulher Empreendedora (RME), a social organization that has had a direct and indirect impact on more than ten million people and has generated R$40 million in contributions to entrepreneurs, it is because she regenerated. The invitation to share the management of RME came shortly after Célia’s return to Brazil and came from Ana Fontes herself, who had founded the organization six years earlier.
In addition to basic knowledge of entrepreneurship and management, Rede Mulher Empreendedora offers leadership courses. But don’t think that these are employee management skills: the focus is on self-leadership and self-knowledge. The work is to ensure that women know their limits, but also their qualities; that you don’t hide behind your partner when it comes to entrepreneurship. May you find and take on the strength of success. “We only certify companies that have at least 51% control held by women,” she explains.
Célia’s transformation is not a won battle. If her heart now beats to the rhythm of professional fulfillment, there is still a mission, as subtle as it is complex, to which she is committed. “I try to eliminate the influence of what others will think of my life. This is still a constant struggle in my head,” she acknowledges.
What surprises the listener is that these words come out without reserve and without carrying with them the weight and aggression common to a speaker trying to prove something to someone. “Every artist dips his brush into his own soul and paints his own nature on his paintings,” said 19th-century American pastor and activist Henry Ward Beecher. Artist that she is, Célia’s painting shows something else. Perhaps it is enough for a friend of hers to invite her to take a little distance for her to be able to fully complete her work.
Adriano Marchesini is a journalist specializing in IT, economics and healthcare with almost 20 years of experience. After working in the editorial offices of publications such as Estadão, Infomoney, ITWeb and CRN Brasil, he co-founded the agencies Essense and Lightkeeper, which have already helped more than 80 companies in creating multiplatform narrative content for business. She is co-founder of the Unbox project and co-host of the Vale do Splício podcast. Made by journalists Adriele Marchesini eSilvia Noara Paladino
, the Vale do Splício podcast was born as a counterculture to stage entrepreneurs – typical MEI CEOs, writers of texts on LinkedIn – to tell the story of entrepreneurs who say little, but do a lot. Listen on Spotify.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
