SPARKLE. What's your word for 2020? “Word up. It’s the code word. No matter where you say it, you’ll know that you’ll be heard.” Inspired by Cameo when I was in high school, I choreographed an individual dance routine for a local dance competition with his song Word Up. It was our first year as a dance team, Poms. It was the first time any of us were going to compete. My funky dance moves were ready, my splits were divine, my cheerleading skirt was pressed, my Kaepa sneakers had the green and gold inserts in to represent my high school, and my hair was feathered. Came ..read more

So what does MOXIE mean? I get that question all the time (from those with enough MOXIE to ask that is). According to Webster, it is “energy, pep, courage, determination.” It also means guts, pluck, initiative, bold, sass, and spunk.  What is a MOXIEmaker? It’s a word I made up to mean somebody who has the guts and determination to inspire others to take initiative, be bold, and show their inner sass. A woman with the guts to be herself. Each month, I will honor a MOXIEmaker in my neighborhood. Which after traveling 60 countries and all 7 continents over the past 20+ years ..read more

This week, meet Julie Burton. Founder of the first women’s only co-working space in Minneapolis, ModernWell www.modernwell.co . After the election, she knew women needed a safe space. She asked her writing group, if I built this space, would you come? They not only came, they conquered. What is the MOXIEST thing you’ve done so far? Starting ModernWell. “I was scared sh$tless and it felt brave and empowering for women in general.” What do you want the reader to understand about starting your own business? It is like walking through a dark jungle with a flashlight that sometimes works and ..read more

MOXIEmaker Monday is back. Meet Mimi Aurélien. She lives in Minneapolis and because she believes that “Everybody has a story” she listens to Seniors as a night nurse, teaches Buti Yoga by day, and is starting a business Synegyoga to provide an accessible form of yoga to everyone regardless of financial and geographic contrast. What is the MOXIEST thing you’ve done so far? She moved to the United States from Haiti when I was 17. “It was good but sad.” She left everything she knew behind. She didn’t speak the language; arrived on a Tuesday and started school on a Wednesday. What do you want the ..read more

Want a BraveNOTPerfect tee like the one I'm wearing?! Visit our MoxieShop to purchase one! Hello! My name is Lucy Dornbach, I’m a college student at the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota, and I have been interning with AWEinc. for just over a month now…and what a month it has been! In just a short time with Kristi, I have been able to see first-hand what it takes to not only create your own business and put your dreams into action, but also what it takes to sustain that dream, grow that dream, and use that dream to change the lives of women and girls all over the world.  As a g ..read more

Photo: Jill and I at the Special Olympics Polar Plunge 5k. “Kristi, thanks for providing a safe space for my daughter and I to talk about tough topics. I wasn’t ready, but she was. So I had to be.” This was my favorite comment from a mom at our International Day of the Girl conference in October 2016. I get that. When my niece was in elementary school, I bought her American Girl’s The Body Book for Younger Girls. I felt she was ready; her mom didn’t. It’s awkward right? And who has practice with that? And then Jill found the book on my bookshelf, took it out, and read it page to page. She was ..read more

Reclamation. You've been complaining of living in a pit,  Yet never tried to climb out of it. You're sick and tired of potentials unfulfilled, And a heart burdened by doubts and guilt. So why, why don't you try to step out, and cry out loud to call back your dreams, and the passions that once filled your young heart. Why don't you fight back the sweeping stream, and take the unbeaten path towards a fresh start. Just take heart, throw your darts, and believe, that all realities were once upon a time a dream. Meet poet, refugee advocate, and Humphrey Fellow Mirette Bahgat. MOXIEmoment ..read more

Happy MOXIEmaker Monday! This week is brought to you by my Grandma Bernie who as my mom said, “was her own woman.” Maybe that’s where I get it from? She exuded MOXIE. In a time when girls married right out of high school, she earned her teaching certificate and taught at a country school. When widowed at 49, she ran the family farm-getting up at 5am to run the irrigation pipes by herself. And later, she battled cancer and congestive heart failure with grace and dignity. .Her trademark: Grandma’s finger. When she was right (which was almost always), she’d raise her pointer finger, pause for eff ..read more

It’s MOXIEmaker Monday! Meet Amanda. I’ve known her since she was a junior in high school; she is now a sophomore in college and just launched her first movie Bits and Pieces: a documentation of the creative process between eight strangers.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=3HS4B_47Z9k Amanda said, “I used my creative abilities to shine light on those who don’t get noticed/recognized, especially in art.”  For the film, she captured how artists experience art and why it’s important. It’s first showing had over 55 attendees this summer. Check it out and stay tuned as ..read more

So what does MOXIE mean? I get that question all the time (from those with enough MOXIE to ask that is). According to Webster, it is “energy, pep, courage, determination.” It also means guts, pluck, initiative, bold, sass, and spunk. What is a MOXIEmaker? It’s a word I made up to mean somebody who has the guts and determination to inspire others to take initiative, be bold, and show their inner sass. Each week, I will honor a MOXIEmaker in my neighborhood. Which after traveling 60 countries and all 7 continents over the past 20+ years means the world. So, pack your bag and come away with me. M ..read more