Jenny Stojkovic

We're losing an entire generation of female leaders.

And nobody's talking about it.

I've been researching the "She-cession" for months.
What I found should terrify every CEO, investor, and founder.

The headlines tell one story:
Women leaving the workforce at historic rates.

But here's what the headlines miss:

**The women leaving aren't who you think.**

They're not entry-level employees or retail workers.
They're the VPs, directors, and senior managers.

I've watched it happen in real-time:
- The CMO who left because school pickup was "inflexible"
- The founder who shut down because investors questioned her "focus" after having a baby
- The manager who went freelance because pumping at work was "disruptive"

Every one of them earning six figures.
Every one of them at the peak of their careers.
Every one of them told they were "choosing family over work."

As if men don't have families.
As if care isn't work.
As if we can afford to lose this talent.

These aren't women who "can't handle it."
These are women who did the math.

When childcare costs more than college tuition...
When taking time off means career suicide...
When every meeting conflicts with school pickup...

The economics don't work.

But here's the part that made me angry:

**We built a system that requires two incomes but supports zero caregivers.**

Then we act surprised when women opt out.

The real kicker? Companies are spending millions on diversity initiatives.

While their best female talent walks out the back door.

This isn't a women's issue.
It's an economic crisis.

When we lose these women, we lose:
- Their innovations
- Their leadership
- Their mentorship
- Their economic power

And we're creating a generation of girls who will see that even if you make it to the top, the system will push you out.

So what do we do?

Stop treating flexibility like a favor.
Stop penalizing careers for caregiving.
Stop pretending this is sustainable.

Because if we don't fix this now, the She-cession becomes permanent.

And we all lose.

I covered this deep dive in last week's The Wednesday Play newsletter.
The numbers will shock you.

Read it now: https://lnkd.in/g2NrduN2

Why not build a world where success doesn't require choosing between your family and your future?

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This is not my baby.

But I am paying for her college fund.

I've never told this story before, but here goes...

My husband Pav came to America as a refugee of Yugoslavia. Growing up as an only child, being an immigrant kid was tough.

But everything changed for him in middle school when he met his best friend Eddy.

Coming from Ecuador, Eddy was also a child of immigrants, striving for the American dream. They instantly bonded like brothers, sharing a mutual dream to "make it" and set their struggling families on a new path to success.

When I met Pav, Eddy was introduced to me jokingly as his "other soul mate".

We soon got married, where Eddy stood as our Best Man. Pav and Eddy couldn't wait to start families and be godfathers to each other's kids.

Unspeakably, only a year later, we lost Eddy in a tragic murder. This loss gutted us in ways we couldn't imagine.

Eddy's family struggled to move on, but soon brought a new child into the family to begin their healing.

The moment Eddy's niece was born, we knew she needed her uncle.

But he wasn't here.

So, we decided to step in.

We quietly opened a college fund in her name, depositing cash on birthdays and holidays, while investing aggressively.

She doesn't know it yet, but by the time she turns 18, the fund will be there for her to achieve her hopes and dreams.

It takes a village to raise our future generation.

We are not special. You can be a guardian angel, too.

Pay it forward.


♻️ Share this post with someone who needs to see it.

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I run a $23M VC fund and just had a baby 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday, I almost quit everything.

The truth?

Having a baby is way harder than raising a $23M VC fund.
Or writing a best-selling book.
Or managing five different businesses.

Add breastfeeding into the mix?
Your entire life becomes 2-3 hour intervals.

The last few weeks, I've said to myself more than once:
"Two working parents is a total scam."

And I have resources most women don't.

Imagine doing this on a teacher's salary.
Or as a single mom.
Or without family nearby.

The cost of staying vs. leaving your job is a reality for many women.

Turns out, I'm not alone.

Women are dropping out of the workforce at the highest rates in history.

The numbers are staggering:
- Moms are 2x more likely to leave the workforce
- Childcare now costs more than in-state college tuition
- We're losing decades of progress in 2-3 hour feeding intervals

The top demographic leaving? College-educated women with kids under 5.

Executives.
Bankers.
Doctors.

They're calling it "the She-cession."

Decades of progress for women in high-earning professions are at risk.

So, what does this mean?
And how do we reverse it?

This isn't just my story. It's an economic crisis hiding in plain sight.

Tomorrow in my newsletter The Wednesday Play, I'm exposing the real numbers behind the "She-cession" - and what we can actually do about it.

Comment "PLAY" to get the link - every leader needs to see this data.



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✉️ Subscribe now: play.jennystojkovic.com

I took the photo on the right after my water broke.

Then everything changed.

I hate to sound cliche...
But everything they say about babies is true.

In just two weeks, my entire world has flipped upside down.

From feeling kicks at 3am to hearing cries.
From wondering who you'd be to knowing your face.
From planning your arrival to realizing nothing prepares you.

They tell you about the sleepless nights.
They don't tell you about staring at this tiny human thinking:
"I made you. From nothing. You're here because I decided you should exist."

Just pure creation. Pure risk. Pure love.

People ask how I'll balance it all.
Running a VC fund. A media company. Writing books.

Here's what they don't understand:

The same hunger that built my career?
It's nothing compared to the hunger to give this little one everything.

To the women worried that motherhood will slow them down:

It won't. It'll make you unstoppable.

Because when you create life, every other creation seems possible.

Ask yourself: "Why not me?"

And to my son, Roman: Welcome to the world, little one.
Watch what your mama builds for you. 😉


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WOW, plant-based eggs are officially cheaper than traditional eggs. 🥚😳




Why?

Because we’re in the worst global avian flu pandemic in history. More than 150M birds have been culled around the world, including more than 5% of chickens in the US.

Some US states are seeing egg prices rise as high as 150%!

And scientists all agree: there is no end in sight for this pandemic.

With more than a 90% fatality rate, this avian flu is one of the most deadly to date.

And, unsurprisingly, I watched a number of shoppers pick up eggs yesterday, read the price, then put them down.

Some walked away, others bought a smaller package, and some picked up plant-based eggs instead. Price parity (or being even cheaper) is a huge step for this industry.

The magazine covers may try to bash you, to diminish you, and to beat you while you’re down, but guess what?

There are factors much bigger than any headline at play here. Planetary, biological, and indisputable challenges that WILL change the way we eat.

Time to rise, my friends. 🌱🚀

Have you tried plant-based eggs? 🍳



#futureoffood #plantbased #eggs

I hid my pregnancy for 6 months.

Not because I wasn't excited.
Because I was terrified.

Terrified of being passed over for deals.
Terrified of being seen as "less committed."
Terrified of becoming invisible in rooms where I fought to be seen.

The venture capital world doesn't exactly roll out the red carpet for pregnant women.

I've watched it happen:
- Partners suddenly "too busy" for calls
- Speaking opportunities quietly disappearing
- The subtle shift from "visionary" to "distracted"

So I hid behind blazers and Zoom calls from the chest up.

Six months of:
"Sorry, I can't make that dinner"
"Let's keep it virtual"
"I'll catch you at the next event"

The exhaustion of hiding was worse than morning sickness.

Then Roman arrived 3 weeks ago.

And something shifted.

I realized I wasn't just hiding a pregnancy.
I was hiding a superpower.

Being a mom AND a venture capitalist isn't a limitation.
It's my edge.

I see opportunities others miss:
- The 73% of household purchasing decisions made by moms
- The $2.4 trillion mom economy everyone ignores
- The founder who gets it because she's lived it

My platform isn't despite being a millennial mom.
It's because of it.

I'm building something different now:
A platform that showcases all of it.
The venture capitalist. The creator. The entrepreneur. The mom.

Not separate identities. One powerful force.

━━━━━

**To brands in tech, AI, or parenting & femtech**

I'm partnering with companies who understand the power of authentic voices reaching real audiences.

My audience isn't just followers. They're:
• Founders building the next unicorns
• C-suite executives making 7-figure tech decisions
• VCs and investors controlling billions in capital
• Professional women navigating career + family

180K+ professionals who trust my insights on business, tech, the future of work, and modern women's leadership.

If your product serves ambitious professionals balancing big careers and real life, let's talk.

Reach out: pav@vwsmedia.com

━━━━━

I'm done hiding.
I'm done choosing.
I'm done pretending motherhood makes me less.

Watch what happens when we stop apologizing for who we are.

Why not me? Why not all of it?

🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for the full story.

This 65 year old billionaire CEO immigrated to the US alone at 12 years old, then built the largest woman-owned business in America.

Meet Thai Lee, CEO of SHI International Corp.

Read the full story now: https://lnkd.in/gnXNuxvv

Born in Bangkok to Korean parents, Thai spent her early years in South Korea.

Her father was a successful entrepreneur and knew the importance of education, so when Thai was just 12, he sent her to the United States for school — alone.

She lived with a host family in Amherst, Massachusetts, and enrolled in a local high school.

She didn’t speak the language and had no friends.

What's worse: she was the only Asian student in her class.

But Thai quickly adapted, eventually graduating from Amherst College with a double major in biology and economics.

After a short stint in finance, she and her then-husband bought a small, struggling software reseller for under $1 million in 1989.

She had no experience running a company.

But she had a bold idea: that enterprise IT procurement could be transformed with better customer service and long-term relationships.

The timing was perfect, right before the Dot Com Boom.

While the tech world chased growth at all costs, Thai focused on profitability, culture, and execution.

Over the next three decades, she transformed the company into one of the largest IT solutions providers in the world.

By 2023, SHI International crossed $14 billion in revenue — without ever taking outside investment.

Today, SHI is the largest woman-owned business in the US and serves 20,000+ clients including AT&T, Boeing, and Johnson & Johnson.

Yet Thai remains almost completely out of the spotlight.

Despite being a self-made billionaire, she rarely gives interviews, avoids headlines, and doesn’t court celebrity.

But you'll be surprised to hear the secret to her success:

Thai headed SHI's human resources department for the first 10 years and personally hired the first 1,000 employees.

She credits those early hires with the company's success.

Her proudest moment?

Her very first hire is still at the company today.

And yet this post might be the first time you’ve heard about Thai.

That’s why I share stories of women like Thai for #WomenFounderWednesday.

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This 64 year old CEO was told to retire because she was too "old", then became the first woman to found a bank in the UK at 54 years old.

Meet Anne Boden, Founder and former CEO of Starling Bank.

Read the full story now: https://lnkd.in/gzDrBZfY

Born in Swansea, Wales, Anne grew up the daughter of a steelworker and a homemaker in a working-class family.

She studied computer science and chemistry at Swansea University and later earned an MBA.

Anne spent decades working in traditional banking, climbing the ranks at Lloyds Banking Group, UBS, and AIB.

But by her early 50s, she was frustrated.

Big banks were slow to innovate, resistant to change, and still dismissive of digital banking.

When Anne announced she wanted to build her own bank, many told her she was too old. She should think about retirement, not startups.

She refused to listen.

In 2014, Anne founded Starling Bank, a mobile-first digital bank built to challenge the status quo.

The early years were brutal.
Investors doubted her. Rivals dismissed her.

At one point, she even lost her entire founding team.

But Anne pushed forward.

She raised capital, rebuilt her company, and launched Starling as one of the first app-based challenger banks in the UK.

By 2023, Starling Bank was valued at over $3 billion with millions of customers across the country.

Anne Boden became the first woman in history to found a UK bank.

Her secret? Age brings confidence and wisdom.

“People did think I was crazy… I was 54 and confident enough not to care if somebody said I was stupid.”

Anne proved that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself — and that disruption has no age limit.

Yet I bet this is the first time you’ve heard of her.

That’s why I share stories of trailblazing women like Anne every week for #WomenFounderWednesday.

🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more stories like this.

This 43 year old founder was hospitalized more than a dozen times as a child, then became one of the first women to IPO a $1 billion dollar company.

Meet Jessica Alba, Founder of The Honest Company.

Read the full story now: https://lnkd.in/gNQvJJ_j

Born in Pomona, California, Jessica grew up in a modest military family.

Her father served in the Air Force, and the family moved frequently from base to base.

But it was her health, not just the moves, that defined her childhood.

Jessica suffered from chronic asthma, severe allergies, and multiple bouts of pneumonia.

By the time she was 12, she had already been hospitalized more than a dozen times.

These early struggles left her painfully aware of the toxins and chemicals in everyday products — and sparked a lifelong passion for safer, healthier alternatives.

Jessica found fame as an actress in film and television.

But behind the scenes, she was determined to use her platform to solve a problem she had lived with since childhood.

When she became a mother, the stakes felt even higher.

In 2011, she launched The Honest Company, a consumer brand dedicated to safe, transparent, and non-toxic products.

Skeptics dismissed it as a celebrity vanity project. Investors doubted she could build a real business.

But Jessica proved them wrong.

By 2015, The Honest Company was valued at $1.7 billion.

In 2021, it went public at a $1.4 billion valuation, making her one of the few women to create a billion-dollar consumer brand from scratch.

Today, The Honest Company generates more than $300 million in annual revenue, selling everything from baby products to beauty and personal care.

When asked what inspired her to build a company or a career in Hollywood, her answer was clear:

"I think because no one had any expectations that I would be successful, how could you fail?"

Jessica Alba transformed her childhood pain into one of the most recognizable clean consumer brands in the world.

Yet I bet this is the first time you’ve heard her full story.

That’s why I share stories of trailblazing women like Jessica every week for #WomenFounderWednesday.

🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more stories like this.

It took 15 years for me to go out in public without makeup...

Because of comments like this.

And I'm not alone.

Women professionals are expected to create a certain appearance daily basis.

So much so, that the average woman loses 20 minutes per day on her makeup.

Hair? Let's not get started.

Blowdrying hair can take anywhere from 15 minutes to over 60 minutes, depending on the length of hair.

And, no, short hair isn't much easier!

As a result, a recent study showed that male professionals, on average, have more than 5 hours of leisure time a week more than female professionals.

Case in point:

I read a recent profile on new Whole Foods Market CEO, Jason Buechel.

Jason sounds like a really great guy — wakes up at 6 every morning and runs 5 miles, then is in the office by 8am doing meetings.

Imagine getting that all done in only 2 hours!

Do you think a female CEO would be able to pull that off?

Is it time to get rid of the 'appearance tax' for women?


Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more content like this. 🙌🏼

My dad has never seen my face.

He's been blind since before I was born.

Growing up, people felt bad for me.

But my dad taught me something special.

While other kids' parents drove them to practice, we walked.
While others saw limitations, he taught me navigation.
While they saw disability, he showed me determination.

A blind man had more vision than anyone I knew.

Today, I'm a venture capitalist investing in the future.

I back founders everyone else overlooks.

Because my dad taught me: the best opportunities are the ones others can't see.

Sometimes the biggest gift is learning to succeed without advantages.

"Why not me?" wasn't just a question in our house.

It was a way of life.

This 43 year old CEO built a company with her husband, then took his job as CEO and became one of the first women to IPO $1 billion dollar company.

Meet Julia Hartz, Co-founder and CEO of Eventbrite.

Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gRb-gBmz

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, Julia showed leadership and creativity from a young age.

You know that little girl who loves planning events for the family and community?

That was Julia.

By her teenage years, Julia enrolled in Pepperdine University.

She spent her early career in television development at MTV and FX.

But Julia was always drawn to something bigger — building communities.

In 2006, she co-founded Eventbrite alongside her husband Kevin and co-founder Renaud Visage.

At first, the idea was simple: create a platform where anyone could organize and attend events.

But under Julia’s leadership, it grew into a global phenomenon.

It wasn't easy.

Julia and Kevin wanted to create a family, not just a startup.

As founders, the couple worked 24 hours a day to bring two young daughters into the world, while building the company.

They also took another unique step during this time.

In a rare turn of events that nearly never happens in the business world, Kevin stepped down from his role as CEO and Julia took over.

And she ran with it.

By 2018, Eventbrite went public with a valuation exceeding $1 billion, hosting millions of events annually.

Julia made history as one of the first women in the world to IPO a billion dollar company.

Julia’s path to success wasn’t without challenges.

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought all live events to a halt, Eventbrite had to pivot quickly to adapt.

Today, as CEO of Eventbrite, Julia remains a champion for creators, empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses to thrive.

The company employs over 700 employees across 12 countries.

And yes, Julia and Kevin remain partners... in life and business.

While raising the kids, he continues to serve as Chairman of Eventbrite.

Julia's journey from an event-loving child to the CEO of a billion-dollar company is a testament to vision and perseverance.

As she explained:

“That resilience and resourcefulness has served us in every chapter from IPO to pandemic to recovery.”

Yet I bet this is the first time you’ve heard of her.

That’s why I share stories of trailblazing women like Julia every week for #WomenFounderWednesday.

🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more stories like this.

This 54 year old rapper was told that “women couldn’t rap,” then launched her own record label and production studio to prove the critics wrong.

Meet Queen Latifah.

Born Dana Elaine Owens in Newark, New Jersey, she adopted the name “Queen Latifah” to project strength and pride.

In 1989, at just 19, she burst onto the hip-hop scene with her debut album All Hail the Queen.

At a time when rap was dominated by men, she made her mark with hits like “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.” — songs that spoke out against sexism and violence against women.

Still, the industry wasn’t convinced.

She faced smaller marketing budgets, less support, and constant doubt.

Many told her that women simply couldn’t rap.

Then, tragedy struck. In 1992, her brother Lance died in a motorcycle accident.

Years later, she survived a carjacking that left her friend critically injured.

Latifah struggled with depression and substance abuse, but she refused to give up.

She diversified her talents.

In 1993, she starred in Living Single, a sitcom that became a cultural touchstone.

By 2002, she was on the Oscar stage, earning an Academy Award nomination for Chicago.

But her biggest pivot was behind the scenes.

In 1995, she co-founded Flavor Unit Entertainment, a production company that gave her creative control and produced films and shows on her own terms.

By 2014, Flavor Unit signed an exclusive deal with Netflix, producing dozens of award-winning titles.

Latifah also hosted her own syndicated program, The Queen Latifah Show, and expanded into business ventures beyond entertainment.

In 2019, through her real estate firm BlueSugar Corporation, she invested $14 million into an affordable housing project in Newark, giving back to her hometown.

In 2022, she partnered with Lenovo’s Evolve Small initiative, providing capital, technology, and mentorship to entrepreneurs across North America.

Today, Queen Latifah is more than an entertainer.

She’s a mogul, a producer, an investor, and a legend.

She didn’t just make history. She made a platform for others.

Did you know Queen Latifah’s full story?

112,000 jobs gone in 90 days. But that's not the worst part.

The worst part is what nobody tells you when it happens to you.

Amazon: 14,000 cut.
UPS: 48,000 gone.
Nestlé, Intel Corporation, Accenture: Another 50,000.

These aren't statistics. They're people with mortgages, kids, dreams.

I know because I watch my husband do this for a living.

As Chief People Officer at The Athletic, Pav had to conduct mass layoffs during the pandemic. Over Zoom. While the world was falling apart.

I'll never forget that night.

He came home and just sat there. Silent.

"I had to let go of people I recruited personally," he finally said. "People who trusted me."

That experience changed everything.

So this week, I cornered Pav for The Wednesday Play.
Made him spill every secret HR doesn't want you to know.

**The brutal truth about getting fired:**

Most people lose thousands in severance because they don't know the rules.

Like forwarding work emails to your personal account?
That "harmless" move can cost you everything.

Venting on LinkedIn about your ex-employer?
Kiss your severance package goodbye.

We've made mass firings as casual as ordering coffee.

"Just business," they say.
"Market conditions," they explain.
"Strategic realignment," they justify.

As if people's lives are just line items on a spreadsheet.

But the reality is:

Layoffs are normalized.
And they're not going anywhere.

Because when 112,000 people can vanish from payrolls in three months, we're all just one Zoom call away from disaster.

Read the full layoff survival playbook in this week's newsletter, The Wednesday Play.

Comment PLAY to get a link to the newsletter.

Have you survived a layoff? Drop your best advice below.

Someone reading this needs it today.


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I wasn't qualified.

I showed up anyway.

When I applied to speak at the world's biggest tech conference, I had zero credentials.

No public speaking experience. No TED Talk. No portfolio.

What I had: A story worth telling.

So I hit submit. Took the stage.

My hands shook. I fumbled words. My voice cracked.

But people listened. They nodded. They clapped.

Afterward, someone pulled me aside:
"That was the best talk of the entire conference."

That's when it clicked.

Confidence doesn't come from credentials.
It comes from courage.

Most of us are making it up as we go.

The only difference? Some of us show up anyway.

Ask yourself: "Why not me?"

_______


💬 Want a keynote speaker who brings raw truth like this to your stage?

Hi, I'm Jenny, venture capitalist & keynote speaker.

I teach founders, companies, & employees how to accelerate their growth and thrive in the changing world and AI-powered future.

Let's talk: nicole@vwsmedia.com

If your parents have a LinkedIn account, we are not from the same place.

My mom was a cashier.
Pav’s dad drove long haul trucks.

We didn’t go to fundraisers and galas growing up.
But when somebody needed it, our parents chipped in to pay their rent.

We couldn’t afford private school or daycare.
But family all took turns helping raise us each day.

A sense of community was always a part of our lives.

Nobody ever looked down upon anyone else.
We all took care of each other.

We don’t shy away from being blue collar kids — we wear it with pride.

We know what it takes to build something from nothing.

That’s the drive my husband used to become a startup executive and exit multiple companies.

It’s the same drive I used to become a venture capitalist and raise a $23 million dollar fund.

We simply asked ourselves: “Why not me?”

What lesson do you carry from your childhood today in your career?

This 46 year old hip hop icon went from being an exotic dancer to retiring in the English countryside as a motivational speaker and author.

Meet Eve.

Born Eve Jihan Jeffers in Philadelphia, she started rapping as a teenager under the name “Eve of Destruction.”

In her early years, to make money, she briefly turned to stripping — then doubled down on music.

By 1999, she burst onto the scene with her debut album Let There Be Eve…
Ruff Ryders’ First Lady, which entered No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

This was almost unheard of for a female rapper at the time.

Soon, the hits followed: “Love Is Blind,” “Who’s That Girl,” and “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Gwen Stefani.

By 2002, Eve and Gwen won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.”

In a male-dominated industry, she fought for respect, recognition, and creative control.

She pivoted to acting, appearing in Barbershop, leading her own sitcom Eve, and taking roles in films like The Cookout and Whip It.

She also built businesses.

In 2003, she launched the fashion line Fetish, among the early streetwear brands led by a female rapper.

She moved into television hosting as a co-host of The Talk (four seasons), where she championed women’s issues and social justice.

In 2021, she executive produced and starred in ABC’s Queens, a series about women reclaiming power in hip-hop.

Beyond entertainment, Eve invests, collaborates on brand ventures, and supports philanthropy focused on women and the arts.

Today, she’s a published author and speaker, and lives in the UK countryside with her husband Maximillion Cooper (founder of Gumball 3000 Group) and their son.

While many were trying to play the game, Eve rewrote the rules — across music, TV, fashion, and business.

Did you know Eve’s full story?

🔔 Follow Jenny Stojkovic for more content on women’s leadership.