Hello, March!

With this new month, we welcome both Women’s History Month and the official 2nd anniversary of the first rounds of pandemic lockdown in the US. While I would happily decouple Women’s History Month from any association with the pandemic, unfortunately, the two will forever be intertwined in my mind. 

Why? Because the last two years have been a veritable reckoning of the current state of work in our country. 

The statistics and data speak for themselves. Despite extraordinary effort—over a century of marches, government-mandated quotas, advertising campaigns and a lot of “surface talk” of creating equity in the workplace—we are still FAR from that goal. The pandemic only exacerbated issues that have bubbled beneath the surface for decades.  

“Women’s (her)story” in this country isn’t in the past. It is a present we live in every single day as we continue to hit the roadblocks put in place by a culture designed by men for men.

Look, I’m not saying it’s men’s fault. Far from it. The current state of work is what it is. However, the FUTURE state of work doesn’t have to remain status quo. 

We have the tools and resources we need to effect massive change in the coming decade, and TARRA wants to be the guiding light for our community to create exponential transformations and build a better world of work for everyone. 

A New Path Forward

Last month we unveiled our first attempt to create a new conversation about “Building a Better World of Work.” The Great Reset: Women in the Workforce was discussed during the State of Women in Business, which TARRA co-hosted with the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and our partners at Amazon and First Bank. 

From candid conversations about universal child care to powerful new ways that companies can think about flex work schedules, the entire morning was a testament to the change that is possible when we focus on solutions. 

Missed the event? Rewatch the entire conversation here. Post-event access was made possible by FirstBank. 

Our research paper, developed in conjunction with Metropolitan State University, is now available for governments, organizations, corporations, small businesses, and individuals to access a long and vetted list of potential solutions to creating a better world of work for everyone. 

Access the whitepaper here.

Building a Better World of Work 

The “office” as we know—designed by men for men in a post-Industrial economy—has evolved, but it is still rooted in an hourly wage-driven environment where a worker’s value is measured by time. Even the most progressive leaders in our “knowledge economy” still value time at the office more than creativity and problem solving, embedding offices with amenities to keep people 14 hours a day, six days a week.

Our economic engine world is no longer ruled by behemoths like Kodak, Proctor & Gamble, and IBM, which have employed tens of thousands of people and provided training, health care, retirement plans, and social networks. 

Today, small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. People don’t have pension funds or the security of a job that will be there in 30 years. Important social ties forged in the corporate workplace no longer exist, and professionals must constantly reinvent their careers and skills.

This male-driven ecosystem prevents women from advancing. 

Those who want to excel must conform to obsolete standards. Those who request flexible schedules are left behind in favor of those who are dedicated to long hours behind their desk, and the ones requesting flex schedules are more often women who are primary caretakers for children and family members in need. There are few well-established social networks dedicated to helping women get ahead. 

TARRA: The Modern Workplace Reimagined

I founded TARRA in 2015 to disrupt the rigid infrastructure that was preventing me and the millions of women who work in America from realizing our professional goals. Today, through business education, community and mentorship, hundreds of women have a supportive network to develop the skills they need to maintain relevance in our rapidly changing world. 

To date, we have hosted more than 50 events—transformative cultural experiences, MBA-level business workshops, and multiple leadership events. We have also established strategic partnerships with powerful professional associations.

Despite our success, I have always known that a technology-driven, remote community isn’t enough to move the meter. Physical convening spaces and in-person engagement are essential.  

Introducing the TARRA Campus

We have studied the market, interviewing hundreds of women from a variety of backgrounds and industries. The result is a new kind of collaborative workspace that reimagines the office into a female-informed experience. 

TARRA has developed a resilient model that reimagines the workplace as flexible, female-driven environments supported by a durable community, hospitality, conviviality, and education. 

Our first Denver campus, which opens in mid-2022, is a place for women to strengthen their resilience and tackle the challenges presented by our rapidly changing world. They offer:

• Private office space for 2-6 person teams
• A membership workspace designed to help members work at peak productivity with office amenities, meeting spaces, and privacy rooms
• Beautiful, inspiring spaces to work, convene and socialize
• Durable infrastructures that allow our members to network and connect
• An inclusive, motivating personal and professional network
• High-quality business and leadership education
• Unique cultural and lifestyle programming
• Convivial spaces embedded into the experience
• Located close to amenities so women can build efficiency into their day

A New Model for a New World

Never could we have imagined the seismic changes that have taken place in 2020 as 20 years of workplace innovation has been condensed into a few short months. Millions of people who started working from home for the first time have discovered the benefits of a flexible schedule, citing increases in productivity, greater connection to families and neighbors, and a sense of freedom to optimize their work schedule and location to fit their needs. 

Workers are no longer pinned in by the 8-6 workday. Instead, they are allowed to fit work rhythms to the experience of family, self-care, and community.

This collective “work from home experiment” has proven that workers do not need to be tethered to a desk in an office to do meaningful, productive work. And, it is unlikely that the developed world will return to the rigid, post-Industrial model. 

Women have the most to gain from this incredible shift in the work culture because we believe it gives them the opportunity to fulfill their highest potential. 

TARRA is here to create a new paradigm because we believe real change is possible. We can’t wait to have you call TARRA home. Membership applications open in April 2022. Stay tuned for details.

Onward toget(her),

Kate