From Mom To Changemaker: The bejeweled reinvention of Joan Hornig and “Philanthropy is Beautiful”

In this episode of Mom to MORE™, host Sharon Macey is joined by guest Joan Hornig, Founder and CEO of Joan Hornig Jewelry - Philanthropy is Beautiful® and Pavé The Way®

Joan began her career as a professional fundraiser for Harvard University and Columbia Business School before spending 19 years on Wall Street. Since 2003, Joan has combined her love of jewelry and design, business skills and experience with non-profit organizations as Founder and CEO of her philanthropically-driven companies, Joan Hornig Jewelry - Philanthropy is Beautiful® and Pavé The Way®.  

Philanthropy is Beautiful® is a unique social enterprise model that donates 100% of profits to each purchaser's charity of choice.  Her goal is for every client to enjoy being a philanthropist and enable non-profits they care about to benefit.  Both Joan’s designs and social enterprise business model have been honored by non-profits, educational institutions and the media.  Philanthropy is Beautiful® was named Social Enterprise Innovator of the Year by AI Global Media in 2023, marking the second year in a row receiving this award.

All selected by customers, Joan’s donations have raised millions of dollars and are spread among more than 1,000 nonprofits worldwide.  Her jewelry designs are worn by numerous stars, business leaders and government officials including First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, Former Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Oprah, Lady Gaga, and Jennifer Lopez. Joan's work continues to be a favorite gift from the US State Department to visiting dignitaries.

Join Sharon and Joan as they discuss the power of women supporting women, conscious consumerism and the ability to make a difference through purchasing choices and the importance of believing in oneself.

[00:00] Introduction.
[00:32] Joan’s background and her journey to becoming a stay-at-home mom
[04:43] Joan's jewelry making journey and introduction to Bergdorf Goodman
[10:53] The importance of support from other mothers and women
[13:31] Joan's innate jewelry making skills and belief in herself
[15:31] Testing new jewelry and the importance of jewelry as a form of self-expression
[16:54] The inspiration behind Joan’s jewelry
[22:46] Philanthropy is Beautiful and empowering the purchaser
[30:20] Pave the Way and the significance of the pieces
[38:08] Joan's second act and empowering moms to pursue their passions.
[40:37] What is so fun about  jewelry and giving your kids wings
[43:38] Lifelong learning and Joan’s more
[44:56] Where to find Joan and her jewelry online

Learn more about Joan Horning and her work:

Website: www.ptwjewelry.com
Instagram: @pavethewayjewelry @joanhornig
Tiktok: @pavethewayjewelry

Looking for More? Join the Mom To MORE® Community and grab your freebie: 6 Ways To Reinvent Yourself Beyond Motherhood at momtomore.com

Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook and now on Pinterest.  @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.

Keep an eye out for episode #52 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Gabi Garland, Domestic violence survivor and founder of Resilient Heart Media. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥

• Episode Transcription

  Sharon Macey (00:00)

  Welcome back to Mom to More. Today I'm re-releasing a special archive episode, one that feels just right for this time of year. As we head into the season of gift giving, I wanted to revisit my conversation with Joan Hornig, the brilliant mind behind Pave the Way jewelry. Joan didn't just design gorgeous pieces, she created a model where every purchase empowers you to give back. Beauty with purpose. That's impact. That's reinvention.

  And that's why I love this conversation so much. Joan's story sits at the intersection of creativity, generosity, and second act courage, the exact values we celebrate here. And as we move into the season of giving, I couldn't think of a more meaningful episode to bring back. So enjoy this Archive Gem with Joan Hornig. And who knows, it might just inspire your next gift or your next chapter.

  Welcome to the award-winning podcast where motherhood meets reinvention. I'm your host, Sharon Macy, and this is Mom to More. I chat with remarkable moms who've embraced the art of reinvention, crafting their more by leveraging the skills they honed as stay at home moms. They share their experiences, struggles, and successes as they return to former careers, rediscover old passions, and chart entirely new paths, offering you the motivation and inspiration

  to help you answer the question, what do you want to do when your kids grow up?

  Hey, listener, big news. Momtimore is now an award-winning podcast, taking home a Silver Signal Award for Curators Shaping Culture. It proves that mom reinvention isn't just personal, it's powerful. And if you're new here, welcome. You'll wanna be part of this journey, so go ahead and hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. And now, onto the show. My guest today is Joan Hornig, founder, designer, and owner of the philanthropically driven companies

  Joan Hornig Jewelry, Philanthropy is Beautiful, and Pavé the Way. Joan began her career as a professional fundraiser for Harvard University and Columbia Business School before spending 19 years on Wall Street. Philanthropy is Beautiful is a unique social enterprise model that donates 100 % of profit to each purchaser's charity of choice. The brand was launched in 2002 at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

  and is currently sold online and in fine retailers and museum shops across the United States. Their goal is for every client to enjoy being a philanthropist and enable nonprofits they care about to benefit. Sales to date have generated millions of dollars in donations to over 1,000 nonprofit organizations around the world, all chosen by customers. Philanthropy is Beautiful was named Social Enterprise Innovator of the Year.

  by AI Global Media in 2023, marking the second year in a row receiving this award. Joan's jewelry designs are worn by numerous stars, business leaders, and government officials, including First Lady's Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Oprah, Lady Gaga, and Jennifer Lopez. Joan's work continues to be a favorite gift from the US State Department to visiting dignitaries.

  Welcome Joan. I am so thrilled you're joining me here today. Thank you for being with me. It's an honor and a privilege. Thank you. Thank you. So let's jump in. There is so much to you and I'm really looking forward to sharing your insights and your experiences with my listeners. So I always start with my essential mom question and that is how many kids you have and where did you raise them? I have two daughters. I raised them in New York City and

  Fortunately, I also have two sons-in-law now. That's really nice. And any grandkids? No grandkids, but fingers crossed. OK. So your stay-at-home mom journey has been unusual, to say the least. You pivoted from Wall Street to stay-at-home mom to jewelry and philanthropy. So take me back to that moment when you said, I am moving away from my work role into being a full-time mom. What?

  And why was that important for you to do that? I think that while there was a moment, which was probably 9-11, there was a buildup that led up to that. And I think that it wasn't a spot decision. It was very much what I was missing. Time goes so quickly. The children, they grow in their sleep, they change in their sleep. And I had spent so much time away from home. Even getting to work took me an hour and a half each way.

  that I felt that I wasn't there enough. And so I went through a process of moving my work from being employed with a paycheck to my own company in financial services so that I can control it to much more time at home. Then when 9-11 happened and I was able to go to the school and pick up my kids because I was close, this is it. It's important.

  I have to be there for them and the other children whose parents weren't clubs. I could bring them home. As a lot of moms that I have spoken with, you became mom to many. We are all moms to many. Every mother's heart is the same. I really believe that every child is our, I consider my child. And they're so passionate. And as you said, the time goes so quickly. And I do find it interesting how, albeit that you did it a little later than most of us, many of us will

  have kids and okay, we've given up our career, we put that on hold, we're stay at home moms, and you did it sort of a little backwards. But the rationale for why you did it was still very familiar to all of us who did it the other way. So you had a really interesting mom school moment, which ended up being your introduction to Bergdorf Goodman. So can you take my listeners back to that day in the school pickup line and

  A very wonderful thing happened to me. My younger child, who at the time was definitely in elementary school, said, I really wish you would spend more time with the other mothers. And so I thought, why not spend time doing two things at once? One of the things that I think women do so well is they multitask. We went from pickup to the Guggenheim Museum.

  We went to the Eugenheim Museum and this lovely woman said to me, I love your necklace. And I said, thank you. She said, where did you get it? And I said, I made it. And she said, what do you mean you made it? I didn't know you did that. I thought, think of you as a finance person. And this was a real aha moment for me, maybe even as big as staying home, because what I thought and what I told her,

  was that I was no more one thing than she was one thing in definition. I this was, I said, here you are this well-educated, in shape, fabulous mother, partner, house manager, community leader. All of the things that I said, all of the things that you're doing. I said, you're the class mom.

  I said, I don't see myself as just my definition of work. I see that as only part of my definition. And I really like to make jewelry and I got to start making jewelry by doing it with this child of this younger child of ours who took a beating class. And it was something we could do together because I'm artsy. And through that process, I developed an interest that I didn't even know I had. So

  leave it to kids to teach their parents. Absolutely. You find out so much about yourself when you're with your kids. So we can thank your daughter for the beginning of what you have created. And to continue on with that story, what she said to me was, can I buy one? And I said to her, she said, I'll pay for it. And I said, no, you can't. I said, yes, you can buy one, but you have to give what it costs.

  to the nonprofit you're on because many women and many men as well in the nonprofit world are on boards and they have to give or get a certain amount of money because these are nonprofit boards. And let's face it, nonprofits need the money. They need people to talk about them. So I said, but maybe you'll want something else. I said, I keep them all in Tupperware under my China cabinet. I love that. But it's so true, like stacked up in Tupperware.

  Fabulous jewelry and Tupperware underneath the kitchen sink. And so, and I live close to the Guggenheim. And so we walked over and this was the era of philofaxes, not phone numbers and contacts on your phone. And she went to her purse and she opened up her philofax. She went into my kitchen, picked up the landline and called a woman she had been in a mommy and me playgroup with many years before.

  who was a very high level divisional manager at Bergdorf-Gutman. And she said, you have to see this. She said, this is really good. There's really great jewelry here. And she said, you your son goes to Stuyvesant and Joan works very closely with Harvard in working on admissions from the public schools in New York City, including Stuyvesant. And you'll like knowing her anyway.

  So let's talk about what mothers do for each other and what mothers do for children. This is really, and let's underscore the importance of being alert and attentive, which again is something that mothers are so good at. Yes, we are. Yes. And this skill set made me better at work, but it makes me better as a human being. And so she said, I'll go with you to Bergdorf's to meet this person. So.

  We get an appointment set up. come in with a tote bag and a suit because this was the time when we were still wearing suits and nylons. Back in the day, as they like to say. ⁓ And I pull out this tote bag and I pull out the Tupperware. And the woman is not even at the meeting other than to say hello. And then she leaves it to the buyers.

  So I start pulling this on, say, well, don't you have jewelry rolls? And I said, I don't know what a jewelry roll was. And I didn't have a pad to put the jewelry on. said, well, we have to go to another place. We'll go to another room and we'll set it up for you. And they said to me, we really like this. And they kept bringing more people in. said, but are you a business? And I said, I can be because I believe in honesty. And I knew I

  could be, but was I a business? Not that much of a business. at that moment. At that moment, I was making jewelry. People were buying it. They were my friends. they were all whatever it cost that we were giving to the nonprofits that they sat on the boards of. I said, this will be a way I can help support you. So they said, we'll get back to you. We have to go to all the trade shows and all the professionals.

  who were jewelry makers, and they called me back six weeks later and they said, we want to launch this here. And it was incredible. But let me tell you something, when you have no marketing and you have no experience in this, I'm going to go back again to the power of mothers and women and friendship and the support that I got from these women, the other mothers, because this woman turned down the spigot for me.

  Yeah. And it was really extraordinary. And it was really different. I I sold financials, I sold asset management. I didn't sell something that had my name on it. I didn't sell something that I touched. I sold intangibles. And it was very good to have the support of the other mothers and the other women. So I think that's incredibly common. You've experienced it. I've experienced it. The women

  I feel that we are privileged to have met and to keep meeting in our lives are incredible on so many levels from having your back when the kids are younger to making introductions because they love what you've created. And they're just calling someone and to them, maybe it's no big deal, but to you, it's the world. No, at that moment, when Bergdorf said, we'd like to launch you, did you have panic that washed over you? Or you're like, okay.

  I can do this, can ramp up, I can create this business. Did I have panic? I had so much excitement. ⁓ My husband couldn't believe it because at the same time I was still doing work from home in private equity. So I was trying to manage everything from home. And so I started getting up at five in the morning making jewelry. And this was before our phones had photos.

  the capacity to take a picture and I would get out the camera, I'd take pictures, I'd go over to the drug store, I'd have them. Build the film. Build the film. I'd glue them onto contact paper so it's everything you learn in kindergarten comes back to you when you need it. And that's how I had the record of what I made. And I finally said to my husband as it was taking off and doing so well,

  I said, I really want to stop making money and I really want to do this full time. And my husband's words, he always says, always quakes a little when I say I have an idea and that's how I started. But he said, go for it. And he said, you your biggest risk is one of disappointment and you could handle that. Right. I'm going to jump around a little bit. Question about.

  your jewelry making skills. Was it something that you've always had? Did you ever take a course for it? Was it just innate? Is it just Joan from the beginning? I would love to tell you that I have a degree in jewelry making skills. I do not. I never took a course, but I have I had belief in myself and I like math and there's a lot of there's a lot of a lot of math in jewelry making. How so?

  It's sculptural. I was an art history major and I can draw and things, you know, I'm not a great artist, but I am artistic. But it's about understanding balance and where the hole is in the bead and what's going to be flat and what's going to be appropriate in proportions. And there are there are just many things that I just innately knew because I love jewelry always. And I love jewelry.

  for another reason, which is that it's one of those things that people comment and notice. And that's why my model with the social enterprise model of the jewelry has been so successful. Because if someone says to you, I like your necklace and I'm looking at your necklace now and I want to say, what does that necklace mean to you? You're going to say thank you and you're going to tell me a story. Did you buy it for yourself? Did someone buy it for you? What meaning does it hold?

  something else is going to happen when you put on your earrings and you look in the mirror, you're going to smile at yourself. Very powerful to reinforce yourself with a smile. So I felt that this process of putting on jewelry and in a certain way, play playing pretty, pretty princess, which was something I played as a child. I do not believe my children played that, but I played it as a child was a process.

  of trying on things. And as women, I believe we try things on all the time. And it's not just clothes, and it's not just jewelry, and it's not just a particular eyeshadow or a hairstyle. We try things on that make us comfortable in our own skin. And that helps us advance. And so I think this was so it was very important to me to try making them and to try the things on.

  So before I sold anything, I always wore it to make sure it got at least three comments by strangers. And I felt that if it three people noticed it, because jewelry is noticeable and personal. Absolutely. it was good enough to be sold. that was, and that is still to this very day. I wear the things before I put them out into the world. I love that.

  And you're right, Jory is very personal, but I also love what you said about women trying things on. And that's really more of an inside, you know, an inside comment, work from the inside to the outside, which I think some of the women listening to this are thinking, okay, you know, what am I going to do when my kids grow up? That's part of that internal dialogue that happens as you're, as you're trying things on, on the inside.

  Where do you draw your inspiration from in terms of the design? Because your philanthropy is beautiful, is one of a kind or very limited edition. They are stunning, absolutely stunning. Originally, and I still pay attention to this, we're involved in a big world. And I look at where people are traveling and the aesthetic of where they're traveling.

  on the high end and what are they seeing and what are they bringing back and internalizing? The same time I look at street culture because I think things bubble up and things move down. And what I try to do is think about the power of the purse, self-purchasing and looking fresh in terms of what the jewelry is. And I look for things that are like

  in my philanthropy is beautiful line. I felt it was really important that I had something signature and that was the class. So almost always we have, I call them donuts and toggles, but something that is large enough and easy enough for a woman to put on herself. I think that this is an important thing when you're in a hurry, you have to be able to put on your jewelry.

  It's your own business who takes it off how you take it off but putting it on and I also felt that When you get up and you're walking to go to the ladies room in a restaurant, it has to look good from the back so one of the because and I'd rather and I as a woman would rather have you look at me from the waist up in the back as I'm walking them from the waist down, right? So you have jewelry then that goes on and also it goes both sides. It goes both sides. And so I felt it was very

  to do that. I also felt that we were coming into a period of time when women were wearing long jewelry. When I was growing up, you only wore studs. You wouldn't, I mean, maybe hoops when you were young, but you didn't wear what was the chandelier earring at the time. But again, this was from the street culture and from travel. And this gave us a tremendous amount of opportunity to shop for new things.

  And that was very good, again, talking about the power of the purse. And I felt it was important that the jewelry not overwhelmed the face, but worked with the smile to the smile in the eyes. And so I understood proportions. also understood that if you put the post lower, because there are a lot of women whose ears, lobes have, the ear holes have ripped and they've ripped probably because their children.

  hold their earrings. yeah, we've all been there. Yeah, we've all been there. And yeah. And every time you go to put an earring in it, and you see the hole and you think that you think my child I was on the bicycle with my child and my child grabbed me or I should have taken that earring up. But but again, you think about your child and your child was young. And it's sort of in a way it's sort of nice, but you still want to mask it. So I have little tricks that made sense to me as a jewelry wearer and purchaser.

  So the inspiration comes from that for the philanthropy is beautiful. It also comes from what's in the market when it comes to stones. It comes from thinking about the age and what do women like. It's always because it's a business. It is always tied into what it's going to cost after the markup from retail. And I felt it was very important that the jewelry align with

  expensive shoes or the blouse that goes with an expensive outfit. So it was not about asking permission so that it was again self-purchase because I think we have so much power and we can make these decisions. We are the drivers of most things as women. I just love our power and I'd like us to celebrate it more and recognize it more. Absolutely. And what you just said about having jewelry that would

  go beautifully with an expensive blouse, given what has transpired in fashion and style over the last, I don't know, maybe 10 years, you can wear that very lovely necklace with a white t-shirt. Exactly. Right? So it transcends. It doesn't have to be just dress up. It can be for any time of day. You just have to put it on and feel wonderful in it and no matter what you're wearing. Yes.

  The jewelry, because of the philanthropy angle, which I know we're going to talk about, it's very important that it be noticeable. And so a white t-shirt, what's better than a white t-shirt? Not many things for showing off jewelry. But I want it to be noticed because the jewelry is designed to create conversations of consequence. And those conversations come from women, because mostly women wear my jewelry.

  There are men who wear my jewelry too, of course. But mostly women and men and women are comfortable commenting on jewelry. It's not true. It's a very interesting thing. And in truth, we only borrow it. So it has all these sentimental things as well because jewelry is passed on and the whole process of opening up the box. You know, they say good things come in small packages. Well, some of my jewelry is big. So.

  comes in a little bigger package, but it comes with that. It's eco-friendly. And I'm sure your girls are going to love being able to be passed, you your jewelry passed down to them. Let's jump into philanthropy is beautiful because I love that model. And I would also like to point out that you created this social enterprise model. It did not exist before Joan Horn had created it. And

  I love the idea of empowering the purchaser to give the proceeds to the charity of their choice versus the charity of your choice. There's something just so powerful and unique. My hope is that more people follow this. I mean, it would be quite an honor if more people do this. So my idea was that I took the beginning of my working career, which was fundraising and

  I took the experience of going to a lot of events and people caring about the jewelry and noticing jewelry. But I also felt that one of the things that we didn't do effectively as a society was we didn't ask. We told what we care about. And I thought, you know, what does a good mother do? A good mother asks her child how he or she feels. How do you feel about that?

  What do you care about? What was good today? What bothered you today? And again, women and mothers are particularly good at identifying what's most important to them. So I felt that it was really important for me to support with my money that I had made to let women determine where it would go because I thought I would learn.

  I would learn what was most important. And I have been surprised at various times. I thought jewelry is art and museums would be supported. And that's not necessarily what it is. What I saw was there were certain categories, even though the nonprofits might have been different, certain categories that women at various times in their life driven mostly by being a mother or a grandmother.

  cared about and that had to do with education. It had to do with health. That doesn't surprise me. And over time, it had to do with the environment. And so the younger, what I learned was that the younger buyers cared so much about the environment that that told me something. And at the same time, know, we're talking about, you know, 20 plus years.

  there became a lot of things that had to do with mindfulness and thoughtfulness and empowerment. And all of those things led me to, underscored for me how important it was to say to someone, I trust you to spend my money. But your job is to make a difference in the world. And the nonprofit's job is to do it.

  good enough job at marketing and development of their brand to be able to have soldiers out there fighting for it. And so I created it because I didn't care about things like charity navigator. I didn't care how much is in the overhead. What I cared about was people getting started and so many women start nonprofits. So many women are a part of this and

  the community that nonprofit and committee work creates for women while they're raising their children, particularly the mothers who are at home, as well as the mothers who are at work, but particularly the mothers who are at home. It's a big investment and I wanted it celebrated and supported. And it sounds like it has really resonated.

  Over a thousand nonprofits you have donated to, millions of dollars have gone to causes of people who have purchased your jewelry. And one of the things I read that you wrote was that giving back can and should be simple. And you make it that way. And it also takes you down the pathway of that people should give back. People should be philanthropic because there's always someone who has less than you do.

  makes your heart feel good when you know you're doing something for someone else. I love that about philanthropy is beautiful, because philanthropy is beautiful, in addition to your joy of being beautiful. And also teaching as your buyers, whether they're older or younger, especially the younger ones, understanding how easy it can be to be philanthropic and how important it is. I try to make it as easy as possible. That doesn't mean it's easy on our end.

  Somebody scribbles down if they buy it in a store, a nonprofit, I have to find it. And then I have to put it on my site. And really, this is a gift to the purchaser, because every purchaser is a changemaker. It's really wonderful this way. mean, we have conscious consumerism. That's true. And this is extraordinary to me.

  what we've been able to accomplish because I can put every nonprofits link on my site so you can go through and you can learn. And you, if you're interested in children, and I do it alphabetically. So I'm the agnostic donor, but you are the driver and nothing makes me happier than when, you know, I get to, when I get to see a picture of a bride or

  bridesmaids wearing like my jewelry or a mother of the bride because I know that Basically, it's an I do for you moment that is very true and that's really lovely because the reality is that and This is something that mothers really know you want your children to be safe and you want them to be healthy and you want them to be loved and you want them to be loving and

  when you pull together what, if you can take away some of the obstacles, which might be health, it might be emotional health, there are all sorts of things that get in the way. If you can work with people who are experts in dealing with them, which the nonprofit field jumps in all the time. And there are more women in the nonprofit field than men. So again, supporting another community of women.

  I like that in what I do. And I like the women who have been brought into my lives through this, which didn't happen when I had a finance life. Those were all men. Isn't that interesting? I think the older I get, the more I realize there is a phenomenal sorority of women that we are blessed to have in our lives, that we are blessed to be able to meet at various points in our journey. And there's just something incredibly special about

  women and the sisterhood that we're all in. Sisterhood, sorority, whatever you want to call it. And I think that's a very astute comment. Talking about philanthropy, your pave the way designs, which are powerful visual symbols that make strong and very personal social impact statements. I also like that they are a very different price point. And why was that important for you to have a different price point

  with Pave the Way, which I believe started in 2017? Yes. It was important to me because I felt that something should be aspirational but affordable for the younger generation. And surprisingly to me, it's all generations that have embraced Pave the Way. So Pave the Way is a play on words for paving the way.

  which is instead of using the hard to say philanthropy word, we are now paving the way for others and making a difference. And the price point was really built around the first powerful piece, which was the microphone. And the microphone really came out of the Me Too movement because more women have college degrees than men, but there are many single mothers and they have to work.

  and might have to work two jobs and they haven't and they're going to put their children and taking care of their family first. And they're not going to necessarily be able to stand up for themselves and say, you got fresh with me, you're abusing me. They're going to say, I have to put food on the table. I have to pay the rent. that's a very serious, it was a very serious problem. And so you had all of this, all of this hype

  profile discussion about all of the abuses, but we weren't getting at the everyday woman. So I thought if I could make the microphone where you could use your voice for someone else, regardless of what charity you chose, because I'm still not saying it doesn't go just to advancing women, I thought we could make it $365. That would be that price point that would

  have enough value. If things are too inexpensive, sadly, they're considered of less value. Things that are very expensive often are misconstrued as being more valuable. The most valuable thing is what you do for someone else. That is true. That is actually, that's priceless. That is. And so the story of the microphone, of using your voice for others every day of the year,

  was what I decided to build out as the Pave the Way collection or Pave the Way. In that collection, we have the empowerment tools, which traditionally were used by men, I would assume. I guess some women know how, we know how to use a screwdriver and a wrench, but we don't necessarily use a saw. But with clever names, like for the saw, she came, she saw, she conquered. Then we have,

  And I actually have a list of some of them because I think they're so brilliant. And there's one in particular that I want to ask you about, but may I list a couple of them? Because they're just, they're really incredible. have the break the rules diamond ruler. have the genius light bulb, the fit to succeed barbell. And you and I both know a young woman who wears that. And it's, I know it's wonderful. The take your seat folding chair.

  Where did that come from? That came from when Roe V. Wade was overturned. And I felt very strongly about that because I grew up in the women's movement, civil rights era. And what I knew was that it was the Black women that taught Gloria Steinem and the others how to really motivate other women and get this women's movement off the ground. And one of those women was Shirley Chisholm.

  who was our first African-American elected Congresswoman in this country. And she's also the first African-American woman who ran for president from a major, one of the two political parties, major parties. And she was very, she had very many famous quotes, but people don't attribute them to her. And one of hers was, was if there isn't a seat for you at the table, bring the folding chair.

  And people. And so I made a folding chair and it actually does fold up a little piece of jewelry does fold up. Yeah, that's all that. And that was very important to me because I felt that we needed another generation 50 years later to know about her. We needed to be able to look back and we needed to be able to understand that. That we are at a we are at a time in our lives where it's frightening to me.

  going backwards for our rights. And so let's celebrate the woman who helped us get there and let's be vigilant in terms of spreading the information. So a lot of the empowerment tools really are messages or talismans of how we feel. Like I'm wearing a screw today because I want every woman who listens to this podcast as they're making the advancements in their life to like,

  Screw their fears. Yeah, you know be strong be pumped That's why I'm wearing the heart the message that I'm giving up because I think we care about our health So the heart the heart is about being pumped The screw is about screwing those insecurities and moving forward right our belt is fit to succeed and The I love the wield your power drill. Yeah, that will jump. That's a great one. Yeah

  They're all meant to be, they're meant to speak to you, they're meant to be layered, they're meant to be, we can make a necklace for someone, a chunkier necklace where the charms are on them. Then we do all sorts of things with them. But I also really am building out other parts of the line besides the tools, which is the food for thought, because I think we have to make sure that

  Women are very, very good and mothers, you want your children to eat what health, but there are urban, there are urban food deserts. That is true. Again, I say every mother's heart is the same. And so I developed a line again, very realistic, very small, all in the same price point, which is about healthy eating and empowering people to know about what is good and healthy food versus junk food.

  That's true. I noticed the asparagus necklace. an open heart, the artichoke, the heart of the matter. But the almonds and the pomegranate seed is and that, know, that's a superfood, but the pomegranate seed is very important because regardless of your culture, regardless of what God you pray to, if you pray to a God, the pomegranate is a symbol of femininity, but it's the seed where it starts. And so

  That's about as abstract as I get. now we're doing... You have no planet B. No planet B because this is something that really resonates with everyone at this moment. Sustainability, absolutely. Yes. then we have have or pave the way for a cure. Because I go back to what I learned from the purchasers and there are

  different things that we should do. So we pick the major organs. The largest organ we have is the skin. I can't do the skin. I can't do the skin. But one of my favorites is one that my husband named, which is the female reproductive organ. named it Gynomite. He named it Gynomite from the strength from within. I love that. All the mothers out there. Again, it's all about empowerment.

  And all in the, you know, all like roughly $365 ethically sourced diamonds, repurposed gold, repurposed silver, fair wages paid and all packaging since day one has been eco-friendly, including the ink we use. That's really what companies aspire to be is, you know, I was thinking about this, that I realized that this is your second act.

  But it feels so organic, almost as if it were written in the stars for you, Joan. You're doing what you love, you're creative, you've got this stunning jewelry, and you're providing this unique opportunity for philanthropy. I think as women, we're so sort of pre-programmed to be productive, and then you have the child rearing years, and then you hit menopause, and maybe you're getting theoretically too old for something or you're waning. And the truth is,

  and you exemplify this is that after all of those years, you look back, right? You say, screw that, right? You look back with wisdom and maturity and experience and that you're moving forward with momentum and you are tossing out basically that old way of thinking, which is critical to moving forward. And I think for any mom listening to this podcast, the screw is a great mnemonic device, so to speak, to say,

  What is in your heart? What floats your boat? What is going to make you want to get up in the morning and be the person that you know is there inside? But sometimes being a mom, it gets sort of pushed down, right? You you forget. It's like, I used to love to do X or I used to love to wear Y. And I think you have a really strong message in there with the Pave the Way empowerment tools. Thank you for that. But the most fun is

  when children choose for their mothers on Mother's Day. And how they feel the message they want to give to their mothers. And this happens, I just lost my mother this past year she was 97, but I would think about, I still think about my mother. Oh my God, 97, what a run, right? But the way we feel about mothers, the most seminal thing that happens to us in our life is if we're lucky enough to become a mother.

  that first child, there's nothing, nothing touches it. Nothing compares. And so if your child draws a picture for you when he or she is young and they give it to you, it's all for you, it's all for the mothers. You're right, it's never for the dads. But then it goes away and that's what you hope. You hope they go out into the world. That's our job. Our job is to give them wings, absolutely.

  job is to give them wings and our job is to know when to step in and when to step back. And to let them know that we're in their minds and their hearts as the I know I can. Not I think I can, I know I can. So not try to do it, just do it. Just do it. And I learned from my children, some of the things they've done are so much braver.

  than things that I think I could have done. And I'm so thrilled with the kind of human beings they are. And I'm so thrilled that I had that chance to be able to talk to them. And when I make a new piece of jewelry, show them and get their reaction and have their friends think that they have a cool mom. I mean, it's like, I think that's really great. I got to tell you. That's very cool. Especially when you hear from them when they come back and they think.

  Especially when they come back to you and they send you a text going, my friend so-and-so thinks you are such a cool mom. So one of the things I'm going to say about the second acts from mothers is that you will be so surprised as you develop them the response and the support you get from your children and their friends. that is something that I would want every woman, I would want them to have.

  that warm, embraced feeling that I have gotten from so many of my kids' friends. they speak the truth. And they speak how they feel. And so find being a little artsy and a little different from other mothers to being cool. Yeah. It's a high compliment. It's very high compliment. So, John, I would like to ask you, because this is the Mom to More podcast.

  What is your more? I know we have actually talked about this a lot today, but if you can maybe try to crystallize. My more is really about lifelong learning and using what we learn to be effective. think every one of us wakes up every day with the opportunity to do something good. Something good to happen to us and to do something good for someone else. And the more is to accelerate that.

  make it easier and make us more thoughtful. So that's and we do that by learning. And it's the world is very interesting. People are very interesting. I learned from people standing next to me in a supermarket line. I don't just learn from people talking to me from the television or, you know, it's it's every you learn from real life. We learn from real life and more. We learn more from our children.

  even when they are mature beings. I will call my children to learn from them. And I'm always so amazed and I love it. lifelong learning. 100 % I did that myself. So I agree with that 100%. So I'd like to ask you, where can my listeners find you online and on social media? You can find me online at

  www.ptwjewelry.com. The PTW stands for pave the way. That's what stands for jewelry.com and at Instagram at pave the way jewelry and tick tock at pave the way jewelry. And I want your listeners, I want your listeners to find me because I want them whether or not they buy jewelry from me.

  to be inspired by all of the decisions they make to make the world better for their children, their grandchildren, and children yet to be born and mature. Very well said. It's never too late and you're never too old. Never. So just go on with that. would, I also tell listeners that all of your links will be in the show notes so people can click on the links there to find you online. And I would also highly recommend that people check out your website because it's

  It's beautiful, your story is inspirational, and there's so much to be learned just from where you came from, what you've created, and where all this is going into the future. So Joan, I want to thank you so much for using your megaphone to amplify your message. You have a megaphone pave the way necklace, and I'm so grateful for you spending your time with me today. Thank you, and I'm grateful that there are moms in the world who do more.

  Hey, this wraps another episode of Mom to More. If this conversation sparked something in you, hit follow or subscribe and leave a quick five-star review to help more moms discover the show that's shaping culture. And remember, you already possess the skills and experience you need to start on this journey because reinvention doesn't have an age limit.