2023 International Women’s Forum World Leadership Conference in Motown Detroit A revitalized Detroit was the setting for IWF Michigan to host 700 women leaders from 33 countries. The Motown theme “What’s Going On?” kicked off with a fireside chat by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who discussed leadership styles, the importance of voting, health care and abortion […]

I experienced a day of pure joy after the 2023 IWF World Leadership Conference “What’s Going On?” in Motown, Detroit, with author and former podcast host Anne Doyle and some of her special IWF sisters and friends. Anne’s book “Powering Up!”, now in its 3rd edition, started me thinking several years ago about the challenges […]

New generations of leaders are bringing different concerns to the workplace. They value work-life harmony and workplace well-being over pay, pension and benefits. Demystifying the myths of each generation and understanding their values will help communication and understanding in both personal and professional relationships and reduce intergenerational conflict. Leaders who understand and can effectively navigate […]

Yiddish Speaking Great Grandmother in “Kiss My Ass” Could be Italian or from any other Ethnic Group Stilettos and Sneakers often talks about the influence of the Italian American family. I fondly talk of my Italian immigrant grandmother’s unconditional love for me. She conveyed the very values I rely on today. Arielle Goldman wrote and […]

The 2023 Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival, in its 24th year, was dedicated to showcasing women filmmakers and films that address issues important to women. The films often told women’s stories from all over the world, 300 films were submitted, and 38 films were selected. The festival was sponsored by Through Women’s Eyes, an […]

Through the life stories of Catholic sisters or nuns, they taught, inspired, and influenced the lives of so many children. I think of Sister Concetta and the other nuns at St. Francis Xavier Church in Newark, New Jersey, and during this month as we celebrate women, I thank you! Dear Sister Concetta, In your black […]

The 2023 Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrate Women Who Tell Stories.”  We are asked to think of authors, songwriters, performers, and grandmothers.    I think of my grandmother, Elizabeth Terreri Monaco. Her life story is my inspiration.   She arrived from Pescopennataro, Italy, at sixteen as a young bride to my grandfather. She died, never seeing […]

Janice Zarro recently attended the IWF Visionary Leaders Celebration-50 years of Women Changing the World 1974-2024 in Washington, DC. The gathering was to recognize the women that have made IWF a dynamic organization reflecting on the past fifty years and looking at the potential for the next fifty years.Janice listened to the Honorable Susan Rice, […]

Linda R. Carlozzi and Lisa Regnante reflect on their experience with Janice as a mentor and the ways it impacted their lives. Q. What was the most valuable from your mentoring experience? LISA: I came of age watching Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro nominated as the first woman Vice Presidential candidate in 1984. Her presence on the […]

Mentoring: Is it time to Re-Evaluate and Re-Imagine? For over three-plus decades, I have mentored women and one male law student. My title, the authority it conveyed, and my experience, were all that it seemed I needed to develop a mutual relationship of respect. I loved mentoring and assumed that since my mentees stayed in […]

Meeting and sharing ideas with multi-generational women leaders from all over the world are always a highlight of any International Women’s Forum World Leadership conference wherever in the world it takes place. I talked with dynamic Australian women conference attendees who shared the elements of a women’s leadership journey program taking place in Australia.  These […]

Stilettos and Sneakers always likes to share tips on leadership to advance the empowerment of women. Sharing the leadership skills needed to tackle difficult, complex problems, Harvard Business School Professor and the Director of Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, Rosabeth Moss Kanter shared: My favorite is “Everything can look like a failure in the middle” […]

Janice, recently attended the 2022 International Women’s Forum World Leadership Conference, Beating the Odds: The Search for New Solutions, in Las Vegas with over 500 women leaders and guests.  Outstanding speakers made presentations ranging from energy independence, the role of critical minerals, the decreasing supply of clean water, democracy vs. autocracy, addressing the global mental health crisis and so […]

Imagine eavesdropping on an intriguing conversation as two, professionally-accomplished and thoughtful Baby Boomers face off with two impatient and ambitious Millennials! That's Power Up Women: The Podcast’s focus for a conversation with the creators of Stilettos & Sneakers, a new, inter-generational initiative to create strategic conversations and tactics for three very different generations of female [...]

About Reading JaniceI just don’t do fun or relationships.  I do work!  I am just an unapologetic workaholic baby boomer. My reading relates to improving my leadership skills by learning from other outstanding women leaders.  I confess I love millennials and zoomers (Gen Z) as I believe they are the hope for our future, especially […]

My entire existence has revolved around sport. As a child I cried through my first dance class and intentionally lost my brownie socks all so that I could participate in sports. I started playing sports at age six. Soccer was the first, followed by softball and basketball. I jumped headfirst into travel soccer and softball, […]

University of Tampa Janice with her Suncoast International Women’s Forum colleagues, participated in Advancing the Next Generation of Women Leaders at the University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida. Her comment was “Listening and learning from these intelligent, savvy, articulate up and coming women leaders, gave me renewed inspiration and assurance for our future.” Janice met over […]

Stilettos and Sneakers often explores from a baby boomer and millennial perspective the words vulnerability and trust. Those words just seem to continually pop up in my life these days, how about yours? Well, David Brooks, writer, bestselling author, commentator, op-ed columnist for the New York Times and a regular guest on PBS News Hour, […]

As a child, I was fortunate to be exposed to family vacations. The locations would change from year to year, but it was always a guarantee that at least once a year our entire family would get together. Sometimes we would take trips to the local beach, while others we would travel to Disney World, […]

My Italian American Family The Transition of Traditions This holiday season, unlike every year I can remember, we didn’t gather in New Jersey. Mom and Dad have been gone for two decades but Nana and Poppy (my sister and brother-in-law) have always been the home where we gather to celebrate our holiday traditions. Not 2021! […]

Recently, Janice attended the 2021 Colloquium on Global Diversity in Washington D.C., hosted by United States based Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI). Her general comment is “Exciting, informative and diverse views from attendees on the future of the workforce.” More from Janice: Some of the questions asked include:· What the Re-Set Economy and Workplace Will […]

It began with a conversation around the kitchen table where my husband, Rick, our Rector and I sat discussing the imminent departure of a parishioner for his first year of seminary education. Somewhere along the way, I blurted out that this was exactly what I’d love to be doing, given the chance, voicing what had […]

I have worked mainly in two professions, both which I loved. During my education to complete my social work degree, I had many people tell me I would not be able to find a job without going on for a master’s degree. I had a job before I graduated in my field and never was […]

When I was a seminary student, a member of my lay supervisory committee wrote in his semester’s-end review that I had, after serving at the altar, preaching, leading Bible studies and facilitating retreats for several months, “good potential for leadership.” Talk about damning with faint praise! Before submitting the review, the rector asked the committee […]

I recently reflected on what influences and reinforces my values, thinking and actions. For me one of those aides or influencers is my faith! Stilettos and Sneakers wants to share the experiences from women of all generations and professions. The conversation is often on how women deal with the common challenges of self-confidence, leadership styles […]

“Hear, see and value where women are and not where you think they should be! Be aware of your implicit biases when judging the behavior, leadership styles and appearance of women of different generations.” This was one “takeaway” from a Stilettos and Sneakers presentation to the International Women’s Forum Florida Suncoast where baby boomer, gen […]

I have to share that I recently attended a terrific session on Being A Leader-A Breakthrough in Leadership Development taught by Cookie Boudreaux of Mark Kamin, Inc. Tidbits of wisdom and extraordinary useful guidance filled the time that passed too quickly. Ms. Boudreaux began by clarifying the distinction between management and leadership. She defined management […]

Great interview with fashion designer and baby boomer Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF) in the Wall Street Journal’s “Men’s Style” magazine Spring 2021. Yes, you read the site correctly! She feels her legacy is that she made women confident. Her response to a question fits the message and texture of Stilettos and Sneakers. It resonates with […]

Vulnerability and trust are two words popping up everywhere in my life! For this baby boomer and I suspect for many millennials, these words mean different things and elicit opposite emotional reactions. Superstar Dr. Brene Brown (brenebrown.com) tackles vulnerability in her numerous books including my favorite “Dare to Lead.” Her TED talk “The Power of […]

Do Sneakers and Power Jackets Really Make A Madam Vice President? The Vogue magazine controversy over the appropriate cover photo, showing “Madam Vice President! Kamala Harris And The New America” brings to center stage the issues for women of the meaning of authenticity, approachability, and authority. The fashion and political press commentary concerning this brouhaha, […]

Stilettos and Sneakers is an Inter-Generational Conversation is designed to advance an inter-generational conversation on timely issues impacting women helping foster sharing, listening, and learning. The initial focus is on how baby boomer and millennial women experience and handle failure. The feelings of failure and what influences how it is viewed are examined by taking […]

I am currently reading a (great) book entitled “Thank You for Being Late” by Thomas Friedman. Although I am in the early onsets of the book, there is one particular part that has stood out to me. According to the research of Friedman and his cited collaborators, the advancement of technology is increasing at a […]

Understanding your values allows you to develop a leadership style that best fits you. By fully committing yourself to your dreams, your journey through life will be filled with that much more love and life. You might value respect or commitment, maybe you value money or security. Whatever it is that you value becomes a […]

When choosing a day camp, a parent looks for a place that will suit their child’s needs; their child’s likes and dislikes. Some families go to camp fairs, others go to open houses, some simply surf the web looking for the ideal summer getaway for their children to go and make life-lasting memories. What is […]