OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Women gathered at the Omaha Design Center on Friday, including speakers from Canada and Ireland, for the Dream Bigger Summit. It's a business conference focused on strengthening the skills of female entrepreneurs.
- Megan Hale is the creator of the Dream Bigger Summit. She wants women to understand that they can learn to invest and maximize their earning potential.
- "I would say traditionally, men are raised and conditioned to earn and invest money whereas women are raised to save and manage money," Hale said.
- A therapist-turned-business coach, she also founded a start-up software company called Dream Money; a money-management tool for female entrepreneurs to overcome hurdles.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
1988. 1988!
I was in middle school the year states could no longer require women to have a male relative co-sign a business loan.
On Friday, I attended the Dream Bigger summit in North Downtown and learned why common attitudes toward money might be holding women back.
"And we weren't even allowed to have our own checking account until the late '70s.”
Megan Hale is the creator of the Dream Bigger Summit.
Hale wants women to understand that they can learn to invest and maximize their earning potential.
"I would say traditionally, men are raised and conditioned to earn and invest money, whereas women are raised to save and manage money," she said.
A therapist-turned-business coach, she also founded a start-up software company called Dream Money; a money-management tool for female entrepreneurs to overcome hurdles.
"Of really saying, like, 'Is it okay for me to want money? Is it okay for me to make good money?' Because money equals power in our society," Hale said.
Nurse practitioner Jenn Diaz is opening a spray-tan and skin care business with her husband.
"He is kind of the behind-the-scenes man who loves all the spreadsheets, who loves all the operational things,” said Diaz. “I don't know a lot about that, so coming here was quite educational ... if I need to do this ever on my own, anyone can do it."
And, a few women brought their daughters, including keynote speaker Jackie McDonald who flew in from British Columbia.
"I think specifically for women it's about being seen, allowing themselves to be visible and step out and use their voice and shine their light and share their message," McDonald said, standing with her 13-year-old daughter, Mirra.
And that includes not only leaning into financial ambitions but learning to regulate stress and anxiety, Jackie told me.
The women I spoke with today say they're inspired to dream bigger. In North Downtown Omaha, I'm your neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
