Copa Style Magazine interviews Danielle Blum Founder and CEO of The Global Heart Project (GHP) which is building Women’s Leadership and Empowerment in Low-Income Areas Globally. “We are building programs all around the globe… not just in low-income countries. We have some in the USA and also in Europe that are being launched. What we are building is an army of love. Women around the globe rising into their power and contributing back to their local communities.”
1. Tell us about your background.
From a very young age, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to spreading more love and peace on this planet. I became an avid traveler after graduating in 2011. My soul thirsts for a deeper understanding of our world, humanity, and life’s meaning. During these times of travel and living abroad, my way of being completely changed. I was conditioned in school to follow a predictable path and schedule but travel opened up a new way of being; following the inner voice of my heart. I discovered on my travels, that we are one and many of us want to make the world more peaceful. When I returned from traveling I had visions and ideas of how I could help to connect people, ideas, and resources to build a more globally unified world came flooding through me when I returned home from my travels in 2012. These new gained ideas and ways of being led me to the path of Entrepreneurship; an area where I could dream big without limitations. It was quite the contrast to the path I thought I would be taking to become a Doctor. Ever since I have been on a mission to build a more connected world that is working together and thriving in our greatest potential.
2. When did you decide that there was a need to help women in leadership globally?
I have a vision of women rising together, lifting each other up, standing in their leadership, and contributing their gifts to the world. The world needs more feminine power and wisdom. This soul-calling to support women came to me over almost two years ago when I lost a friend to suicide. I realized I was not living the full potential of my dream of making this world more loving. I wanted to create a world where this kind of thing never has to happen again. This was when I made a big shift in my business to start working with women. All over the world, we see more men in leadership positions and it is now our time to step up and get involved. Our voice and ideas are essential to transforming our world. Every single action big or small makes a difference. This is no longer about the leaders in governmental positions, but it is about every single one of us and what we have to contribute to making this world a better place. One person alone can make a huge ripple in the world and when we come together in the community our efforts are magnified. I believe by supporting women in rising into their leadership we will create a more peaceful and loving world that works for everyone. In January, our Women’s Leadership Program will be launched in Liberia, Nigeria, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, USA, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Uganda, and Cameroon. For every program launched, multiple women will be remembering her power and creating projects to uplift her local community. I believe leadership is a path to self-awakening. It is not only about the end goal but who you become in the process.
3. Did your upbringing influence your decision to launch The Global Heart Project?
When I was 15 years old I met my spiritual teachers. I discovered a deeper and more intuitive world that existed and everything changed for me. For two years I was learning in their program called, The Art of Heartful Living. This has been the foundation for everything I am doing today. I experienced the most profound and present love that I didn’t know existed. I felt that somehow I wanted the whole world to feel this type of love so that all fighting within our homes or out in the world would stop. From this age, I knew somehow I wanted to contribute to the global awakening of consciousness into more love, kindness, contribution. So I envision that these women who are a part of the Global Heart Project are going to work on spreading more love through their heartfelt creations. Inside of the Women’s Leadership Program, we even call their projects “heart projects” so that they remember to stay connected to this place inside of themselves during their journey as a leader.
4. Tell us about Hive.org.
Hive is a global community of leaders around the world. It is focused on community, support, and transformation. It is a beautiful community because of its focus on inclusivity, diversity, and purposeful contribution. I had the honor of being the CEO of Hive Women, the Hive branch exclusively for female leaders and entrepreneurs. During my time I ran the signature Women’s Leadership Program (WLP) to women around the world. The WLP, the featured program in the Global Heart Project, is a program that supports women in stepping into their purpose, awakening their leadership, and building projects that uplift their local communities. This is the program that is now being launched as the facilitator training through the GHP so we can spread to more women in local communities.
5. What does women empowerment mean to you?
To me, it is about leading with a head and heart connection. It is about no longer doing what is expected outside of yourself or what you should be doing, but listening inward for the truth of your inner voice and taking action from that place.
6. What help do you need to make The Global Heart Project successful?
Currently, we are seeking connections to donor foundations or influencers who are interested in partnering up with us to help our mission expand. Our goal is to have women leadership & empowerment programs around the globe supporting women to stand in their power and creating projects that support the global goals initiative. These women who are a part of the GHP network will be a part of a continued community where we will be discussing global challenges, designing solutions together that can be implemented, and will have potential access to project funding.
7. Share with us a few projects in areas overseas
A few projects examples that we have seen include adult literacy programs, Women’s Empowerment groups, and underserved youth programs. As we launch the facilitator training program this year we will see a multitude of projects in local communities that will directly support the global goals initiative.
8. How do you see The Global Heart Project changing the world?
I believe this has the potential for a massive ripple effect. When every woman on this planet knows her true power and shares her gifts, everything will change for the better. When women rise together they reflect their true brilliance and strength and we remember that we can make a difference.
9. How do women find me abroad?
We have an application page for women who are interested in applying to become WLP facilitators. Once facilitators are trained they will be promoting their groups individually. You can go to this page to apply to be a facilitator: http://site.hive.org/wlpfacilitator
10.. Tell us about the Global Goals Initiative.
In 2015 world leaders decided on 17 goals for a better world by 2030. These goals are intended to help end poverty, fight inequality, and stop climate change. You can learn more here: https://www.globalgoals.org/
11. How does your non-profit provide support to the women of low-income areas?
Our local facilitators will be providing support and community for women joining the program and network. These networks are intended to provide a life-long support system of women working together on making the world a better place. The Global Heart Project network will be able to connect these women globally through our online portal and our first Facilitator training program begins in January.
12. How are you different from other platforms to help women in leadership?
We are unifying women globally to amplify our efforts locally. This is a unique network because everyone is in this together. The more successful one is, the more successful everyone is. This is a community of women globally committed to positive change and is passionate about coming together to work on solutions.
13. This seems like a daunting task. What are your greatest challenges?
We will face many challenges and obstacles along the way but we do not expect everything to run perfectly right away. Some challenges have been wifi issues for women in certain areas who are unable to join the online training program. We are consistently encouraging the women to know it is about taking action, learning, iterating, and never giving up on our vision of a more peaceful and connected world. As with any business endeavor we will discover some challenges as we launch our training in Jan but we are committed to the long-term game and continued support so that these women can be successful.
14. What was most surprising when speaking to the women in the low-income areas?
It has been powerful to hear about the issues these women are facing in their communities. Some of the issues that these women are passionate about solving include, sexual and gender-based violence, women’s economic opportunities, and keeping young women in school.
15. What is your goal for 2019?
In 2019 my goal is to have these women’s programs fully launched in their country and successfully help women launch local community projects. Our program is being prepared to be launched this year in Bangladesh, Uganda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Liberia, USA, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Algeria, and Pakistan. We also are hoping to secure partnerships and backers to support this cause. We want to allocate resources into areas where it is most needed.
16.. What is your mantra?
Always trust the voice of your heart as it knows the way to your fullest potential.
17. How can people contact you? Email: [email protected] and visit our website at GlobalHeartproject.org and DanielleBlum.com
1. Tell us about your background.
From a very young age, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to spreading more love and peace on this planet. I became an avid traveler after graduating in 2011. My soul thirsts for a deeper understanding of our world, humanity, and life’s meaning. During these times of travel and living abroad, my way of being completely changed. I was conditioned in school to follow a predictable path and schedule but travel opened up a new way of being; following the inner voice of my heart. I discovered on my travels, that we are one and many of us want to make the world more peaceful. When I returned from traveling I had visions and ideas of how I could help to connect people, ideas, and resources to build a more globally unified world came flooding through me when I returned home from my travels in 2012. These new gained ideas and ways of being led me to the path of Entrepreneurship; an area where I could dream big without limitations. It was quite the contrast to the path I thought I would be taking to become a Doctor. Ever since I have been on a mission to build a more connected world that is working together and thriving in our greatest potential.
2. When did you decide that there was a need to help women in leadership globally?
I have a vision of women rising together, lifting each other up, standing in their leadership, and contributing their gifts to the world. The world needs more feminine power and wisdom. This soul-calling to support women came to me over almost two years ago when I lost a friend to suicide. I realized I was not living the full potential of my dream of making this world more loving. I wanted to create a world where this kind of thing never has to happen again. This was when I made a big shift in my business to start working with women. All over the world, we see more men in leadership positions and it is now our time to step up and get involved. Our voice and ideas are essential to transforming our world. Every single action big or small makes a difference. This is no longer about the leaders in governmental positions, but it is about every single one of us and what we have to contribute to making this world a better place. One person alone can make a huge ripple in the world and when we come together in the community our efforts are magnified. I believe by supporting women in rising into their leadership we will create a more peaceful and loving world that works for everyone. In January, our Women’s Leadership Program will be launched in Liberia, Nigeria, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, USA, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Uganda, and Cameroon. For every program launched, multiple women will be remembering her power and creating projects to uplift her local community. I believe leadership is a path to self-awakening. It is not only about the end goal but who you become in the process.
3. Did your upbringing influence your decision to launch The Global Heart Project?
When I was 15 years old I met my spiritual teachers. I discovered a deeper and more intuitive world that existed and everything changed for me. For two years I was learning in their program called, The Art of Heartful Living. This has been the foundation for everything I am doing today. I experienced the most profound and present love that I didn’t know existed. I felt that somehow I wanted the whole world to feel this type of love so that all fighting within our homes or out in the world would stop. From this age, I knew somehow I wanted to contribute to the global awakening of consciousness into more love, kindness, contribution. So I envision that these women who are a part of the Global Heart Project are going to work on spreading more love through their heartfelt creations. Inside of the Women’s Leadership Program, we even call their projects “heart projects” so that they remember to stay connected to this place inside of themselves during their journey as a leader.
4. Tell us about Hive.org.
Hive is a global community of leaders around the world. It is focused on community, support, and transformation. It is a beautiful community because of its focus on inclusivity, diversity, and purposeful contribution. I had the honor of being the CEO of Hive Women, the Hive branch exclusively for female leaders and entrepreneurs. During my time I ran the signature Women’s Leadership Program (WLP) to women around the world. The WLP, the featured program in the Global Heart Project, is a program that supports women in stepping into their purpose, awakening their leadership, and building projects that uplift their local communities. This is the program that is now being launched as the facilitator training through the GHP so we can spread to more women in local communities.
5. What does women empowerment mean to you?
To me, it is about leading with a head and heart connection. It is about no longer doing what is expected outside of yourself or what you should be doing, but listening inward for the truth of your inner voice and taking action from that place.
6. What help do you need to make The Global Heart Project successful?
Currently, we are seeking connections to donor foundations or influencers who are interested in partnering up with us to help our mission expand. Our goal is to have women leadership & empowerment programs around the globe supporting women to stand in their power and creating projects that support the global goals initiative. These women who are a part of the GHP network will be a part of a continued community where we will be discussing global challenges, designing solutions together that can be implemented, and will have potential access to project funding.
7. Share with us a few projects in areas overseas
A few projects examples that we have seen include adult literacy programs, Women’s Empowerment groups, and underserved youth programs. As we launch the facilitator training program this year we will see a multitude of projects in local communities that will directly support the global goals initiative.
8. How do you see The Global Heart Project changing the world?
I believe this has the potential for a massive ripple effect. When every woman on this planet knows her true power and shares her gifts, everything will change for the better. When women rise together they reflect their true brilliance and strength and we remember that we can make a difference.
9. How do women find me abroad?
We have an application page for women who are interested in applying to become WLP facilitators. Once facilitators are trained they will be promoting their groups individually. You can go to this page to apply to be a facilitator: http://site.hive.org/wlpfacilitator
10.. Tell us about the Global Goals Initiative.
In 2015 world leaders decided on 17 goals for a better world by 2030. These goals are intended to help end poverty, fight inequality, and stop climate change. You can learn more here: https://www.globalgoals.org/
11. How does your non-profit provide support to the women of low-income areas?
Our local facilitators will be providing support and community for women joining the program and network. These networks are intended to provide a life-long support system of women working together on making the world a better place. The Global Heart Project network will be able to connect these women globally through our online portal and our first Facilitator training program begins in January.
12. How are you different from other platforms to help women in leadership?
We are unifying women globally to amplify our efforts locally. This is a unique network because everyone is in this together. The more successful one is, the more successful everyone is. This is a community of women globally committed to positive change and is passionate about coming together to work on solutions.
13. This seems like a daunting task. What are your greatest challenges?
We will face many challenges and obstacles along the way but we do not expect everything to run perfectly right away. Some challenges have been wifi issues for women in certain areas who are unable to join the online training program. We are consistently encouraging the women to know it is about taking action, learning, iterating, and never giving up on our vision of a more peaceful and connected world. As with any business endeavor we will discover some challenges as we launch our training in Jan but we are committed to the long-term game and continued support so that these women can be successful.
14. What was most surprising when speaking to the women in the low-income areas?
It has been powerful to hear about the issues these women are facing in their communities. Some of the issues that these women are passionate about solving include, sexual and gender-based violence, women’s economic opportunities, and keeping young women in school.
15. What is your goal for 2019?
In 2019 my goal is to have these women’s programs fully launched in their country and successfully help women launch local community projects. Our program is being prepared to be launched this year in Bangladesh, Uganda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Liberia, USA, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Algeria, and Pakistan. We also are hoping to secure partnerships and backers to support this cause. We want to allocate resources into areas where it is most needed.
16.. What is your mantra?
Always trust the voice of your heart as it knows the way to your fullest potential.
17. How can people contact you? Email: [email protected] and visit our website at GlobalHeartproject.org and DanielleBlum.com