BRIDGE
BRIDGE TODAY AND A NEW SECTION OF THE TRAIL MAY BE OPENED BY
MEMORIAL DAY.
MEMORIAL DAY. >>> SHE WAS JUST NAMED A CHANGE
MAKER AS A FEMALE CEO IN
SEATTLE AND NOW SHE HAS BEEN
INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE UNITED
STATE OF WOMEN'S SUMMIT IN LOS
ANGELES.
ANGELES.
ANGELES. >> CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE
RIVETER AMY NELSON JOINS US
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOU ARE RELEASABLY SELECTED
AS ONE OF FIVE WOMEN FEATURED
IN WOMEN AT WORK A COVER STORY
FOR SEATTLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAW
CAREER AND GET INTO THIS?
>> I FOUND I WAS PART OF THIS
CORPORATE AMERICA THAT WAS BUILT
BY AND FOR MEN DECADES AGO AND
WHEN I BECAME A MOTHER I
STRUGGLED WITH HOW TO BE A
PROFESSIONAL AND A PARENT SO
LIKE MANY PEOPLE I WANTED TO
START MY OWN BUSINESS.
>> WE HEARD ABOUT THAT IN THIS
ARTICLE, YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR
STORY AND RECENTLY IN THE
WASHINGTON POST YOU WROTE AN
ADDITION ABOUT THIS MATERNAL
WALL, PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT A GLASS
CEILING BUT THEY DON'T HEAR
ABOUT A MATERNAL WALL AND YOU
TALK ABOUT THIS AND YOU SAY
PEOPLE SHOULD OPT UP INSTEAD OF
OPT OUT, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
>> SO MANY WOMEN LEAVE
CORPORATE AMERICA AFTER THEY
HAVE CHILDREN, ALMOST HALF OF
WOMEN WITH COLLEGE DEGREES OPT
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. THAT
OUT. THAT MEANS CORPORATE AMERICA IS
VERY BROKEN AND MOST OF THESE
WOMEN ARE NOT GOING HOME, THEY
ARE DOING OTHER THINGS. OVER
1000 WOMEN A DAY ARE STARTING
BUSINESSES IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> DO THEY DO THAT BECAUSE THE
WORKPLACE THEY ARE IN CANNOT
ACCOMMODATE THEM OR THEIR
CULTURE IS THAT WORKING FOR
THEM?
THEM?
THEM? >>
THEM? >> I THINK SO.
SPACES ARE BUILT BY MEN THE
OFFICE TEMPERATURE IS SET TO
WHAT A MAN WANTS AND CORPORATE
AMERICA REMAINS VERY INFLEXIBLE
WITH ITS POLICIES.
>> THERE ARE SEVERAL WOMEN ONLY
WORKSPACES IN SEATTLE AND SOME
OF THEM SAY YOU ARE
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST MEN LIKE
YOU JUST MENTIONED, WHAT DO YOU
THINK?
THINK?
THINK? >>
THINK? >> I THINK IF WOMEN WERE MAKING
LESS THEN THEN WE COULD HAVE
THAT DISCUSSION.
THAT DISCUSSION. I THINK WOMEN NEED SPACES WHERE
THEY CAN SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE
DOING THE SAME THING THEY ARE
DOING AND LEADING LIKE THEY
WANT TO LEAD.
>> HOW IS IT DIFFERENT AT
RIVETER X IT IS NOT A WOMEN
ONLY CO-WORKING SPACE RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> MEN ARE WELCOME?
>> YES ALL GENDERS ARE WELCOME
AT RIVETER.
AT RIVETER. WE WELCOME ALL GENDERS BECAUSE
WE WANT EVERYONE TO SEE WHAT IT
IS LIKE TO BE IN A SPACE BUILT
BY WOMEN AND WATCH WOMEN LEAD.
>> HOW HAS THAT BEEN FOR YOU TO
WATCH THIS TRANSPIRE?
>> IT HAS BEEN REMARKABLE TO
WATCH THIS COMMUNITY GROW OVER
THE PAST YEAR.
WE ARE ABOUT TO OPEN IN OUR
SECOND CITY OF LOS ANGELES.
WE HAVE WATCHED WOMEN GET THEIR
FIRST INVESTOR CHECKS, WE HAVE
WATCH WOMEN TRIPLE THE SIZE OF
THEIR BUSINESS SO IT HAS BEEN
UNBELIEVABLE.
UNBELIEVABLE. >> WHAT CAN MEN DO OR NOT DO TO
TRY TO MAKE THIS A MORE
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT AND I
GUESS GET RID OF THE STIGMA YOU
ARE MAKING NOTE OF?
>> WE ARE OFTEN ASKED WHAT MEN
CAN DO AND I THINK THE FIRST
THING MEN CAN DO IS ASK THE
WOMEN THEY WORK WITH, WHAT ARE
WE DOING WELL AND WHAT CAN WE
DO BETTER?
DO BETTER? IT SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLE STEP BUT
IT IS SO IMPORTANT.
>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
A LOT OF GUYS I KNOW ARE
PROBABLY AFRAID TO MAYBE SPEAK
WITH THEIR FEMALE COWORKERS AND
APPROACH THE SUBJECT BECAUSE OF
FEAR, WHAT DO YOU NOT DO?
>> I THINK MOST PEOPLE WANT
EQUITY IN THE WORKPLACE.
MOST PEOPLE STRIVE FOR THAT.
WE LIVE IN AN INHERITED SYSTEM
SO TALK WITH PEOPLE AND ASK IF
YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING
WITH THE WAY WORKSPACES ARE
BUILT.
BUILT.
BUILT. ARE THE PROGRAMS HELPFUL TO
EVERYONE?
EVERYONE?
EVERYONE? >> THIS WEEKEND YOU ARE
SPEAKING AT THE SUMMIT IN LOS
ANGELES AND MICHELLE OBAMA IS
THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER, WHAT KIND
OF MESSAGE WILL YOU BE SENDING
TWO WOMEN?
TWO WOMEN? >> MUCH OF THE SAME MESSAGE WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO
WORK WITH THE ORGANIZATION THIS
WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES.
>> THERE IS A HEFTY SELECTION
OF WOMEN WHO ARE INCREDIBLE AND
YOU ARE AMONG THEM, HOW DO YOU
FEEL ABOUT THAT?
BACK I AM THRILLED THE
RIVETER'S MESSAGE IS RESONATING
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND HERE
IN SEATTLE.
IN SEATTLE. >> HOPEFULLY WE WILL SEE A LOT
MORE OF YOU HERE TOO.
THE METABOLIC RATE?
WHAT IS THAT?
LET ME GUESS, THE TEMPERATURE
IS COLDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE.
>> THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS HAVE A
BLANKET ON MY LAP.
>>