Fran Hauser is one of the most inspiring women we know. Why? She spends her days helping women build better careers and businesses. Also, she's an author (read her book, The Myth of the Nice Girl), start-up investor, speaker, mother of two, and former media executive at Time Inc. Since her media days, she continues to champion the power of content in its ability to shape culture, educate the public, and drive awareness of important issues.
Diem: What’s your work title (the professional you)?
Fran Hauser: Author, speaker, and startup investor
Diem: What’s your real-life title (the real you)?
FH: Mama, bookworm & CEO of my big extended family
Diem: Where are you Dieming from?
FH: Just outside NYC
Diem: What’s the best part of your day?
FH: Early morning
Diem: We like to think of Diem as the place you go to for a trusted exchange of knowledge—it's an extension of the group chat you have with your best friends. What knowledge would you like to share with the community? This can be advice, a tip, or a valuable piece of information you want other people in the community to know.
FH: I will be sharing knowledge around three areas. The first is how to build a fulfilling career while being true to yourself. The second is fundraising tips and advice. The third is how to get a book published.
Diem: If Diem is a metaverse and you’re an avatar—what's your superpower?
FH: Balancing kindness with strength.
Diem: What change would you like to see in the world? What are you doing to help bring this change to fruition?
FH: Build more families through adoption. I have been working with a wonderful organization called helpusadopt.org for the last 10 years.
Diem: What kind of community events will you be bringing to Diem?
FH: Mentor circles, pitch competitions, and book clubs.
Diem: What exciting things do you have going on that you’d like people to know about?
FH: My second book is coming out in March 2022. It's called Embrace the Work, Love Your Career. It's for anyone who is feeling stuck in their career, is in transition, or is simply not feeling fulfilled.
Diem: What are three other women or non-binary pioneers you’d like to shout out?
FH: Ashley Longshore. She's the Andy Warhol of our times and empowerer of women through art.
Emily Bayuk. She just graduated from Bucknell but has already written two books on STEM for young girls and is starting at Accenture in cybersecurity.
Ashley Miles. She's the head of NY Women in Communications, former CRO Refinery29, and recently launched Franklyn West.
More quotes from Fran that we loved in this conversation...
"If you’re building a business, a really succinct consumer value proposition is critical. It's so important to be able to explain what you do in a sentence so that other people can share it—that's what makes the product go viral."
"Founders will sometimes ask me, ‘What would you do if you were in my shoes?’ A question I far prefer is ‘Have you seen this situation before? What are some insights that I can leverage when making this decision?’ "
"Every time I did something that created value for the company, I would write it down. And this turned into a long, beautiful list. I call it my Smile File."
Fran can be found at @fran in Diem!