Cecilia Foxworthy's guest appearances

Cecilia Foxworthy

Meant For It

Tiffany Shlain

Laura Vanderkam

Eve Rodsky

Shannon Watts

Lori Gottlieb

BJ Miller

Katie Fogarty

Sadie Lincoln

Rebecca Minkoff

Laura Rutledge

Ashley Sumner

Laurie Segall

Lauryn Evarts

Jessica Honegger

Tracy McCubbin

OwlTail

We strive to inspire women leading the future of business here at I Want Her Job. This is why we were so excited to speak with Cecilia Foxworthy, co-founder of Torus Teens, an online tool for connecting teens with afterschool and summer programs with the leaders of our future – teens – in mind. The idea for Torus Teens came about after Cecilia had the realization that the majority of the free afterschool programs for teenagers were available, and sometimes just around the block, but many of the teens she knew were not even aware of them. So, she made a move to fill the need. Now the idea has blossomed into an organization that is supported by Inc., ImpactLab, Urban Assembly, and A Better Chance, among other organizations. And it’s this drive to help others that we admire so much. “I just don’t accept that all teenagers don’t get the chance to make themselves who they want to be … and explore those interests,” she says. We already have the resources today to change lives and open the doors for teenagers, but we just need to connect them with the opportunities, people and organizations that will make this happen. “We have the real potential to move the needle on the achievement gap, which has been widening over the last 30 years,” she says. “We can close that by harnessing programs and methods that are already in existence … We don’t really need more resources, we just need to use them better.” Learn more about what else drives Cecilia, why she really likes to wonder ‘why’ and more on episode 34 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast.

We strive to inspire women leading the future of business here at I Want Her Job. This is why we were so excited to speak with Cecilia Foxworthy, co-founder of <a href="http://About%20Cecilia%20We%20strive%20to%20inspire%20women%20leading%20the%20future%20of%20business%20here%20at%20I%20Want%20Her%20Job.%20This%20is%20why%20we%20were%20so%20excited%20to%20speak%20with%20Cecilia%20Foxworthy,%20co-founder%20of%20Torus%20Teens,%20an%20online%20tool%20for%20connecting%20teens%20with%20afterschool%20and%20summer%20programs%20with%20the%20leaders%20of%20our%20future%20%E2%80%93%20teens%20%E2%80%93%20in%20mind.%20The%20idea%20for%20Torus%20Teens%20came%20about%20after%20Cecilia%20had%20the%20realization%20that%20the%20majority%20of%20the%20free%20afterschool%20programs%20for%20teenagers%20were%20available,%20and%20sometimes%20just%20around%20the%20block,%20but%20many%20of%20the%20teens%20she%20knew%20were%20not%20even%20aware%20of%20them.%20So,%20she%20made%20a%20move%20to%20fill%20the%20need.%20Now%20the%20idea%20has%20blossomed%20into%20an%20organization%20that%20is%20supported%20by%20Inc.,%20ImpactLab,%20Urban%20Assembly,%20and%20A%20Better%20Chance,%20among%20other%20organizations.%20And%20it%E2%80%99s%20this%20drive%20to%20help%20others%20that%20we%20admire%20so%20much.%20%E2%80%9CI%20just%20don%E2%80%99t%20accept%20that%20all%20teenagers%20don%E2%80%99t%20get%20the%20chance%20to%20make%20themselves%20who%20they%20want%20to%20be%20%E2%80%A6%20and%20explore%20those%20interests,%E2%80%9D%20she%20says.%20We%20already%20have%20the%20resources%20today%20to%20change%20lives%20and%20open%20the%20doors%20for%20teenagers,%20but%20we%20just%20need%20to%20connect%20them%20with%20the%20opportunities,%20people%20and%20organizations%20that%20will%20make%20this%20happen.%20%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20the%20real%20potential%20to%20move%20the%20needle%20on%20the%20achievement%20gap,%20which%20has%20been%20widening%20over%20the%20last%2030%20years,%E2%80%9D%20she%20says.%20%E2%80%9CWe%20can%20close%20that%20by%20harnessing%20programs%20and%20methods%20that%20are%20already%20in%20existence%20%E2%80%A6%20We%20don%E2%80%99t%20really%20need%20more%20resources,%20we%20just%20need%20to%20use%20them%20better.%E2%80%9D%20Learn%20more%20about%20what%20else%20drives%20Cecilia,%20why%20she%20really%20likes%20to%20wonder%20%E2%80%98why%E2%80%99%20and%20more%20on%20episode%2034%20of%20I%20Want%20Her%20Job%20The%20Podcast.%20Topics%20Discussed%20In%20Today%E2%80%99s%20Show%20%E2%80%A2%20On%20Our%20Future%20While%20many%20of%20us%20are%20doing%20our%20best%20to%20make%20a%20living,%20build%20fulfilling%20lives%20and%20care%20for%20our%20communities,%20Cecilia%20says%20it%E2%80%99s%20also%20important%20we%20keep%20a%20keen%20eye%20on%20the%20next%20citizens%20of%20our%20world.%20%E2%80%9CTeenagers%20are%20the%20next%20citizens,%20immediately,%20and%20we%20need%20to%20focus%20on%20them,%20and%20we%20will%20be%20better%20off%20from%20it,%E2%80%9D%20she%20says.%20%E2%80%A2%20Case%20In%20Point:%20The%20story%20of%20how%20Cecilia%20met%20her%20technical%20co-founder,%20Althea%20Smith,%20is%20a%20perfect%20example%20of%20whey%20we%20all%20should%20get%20off%20the%20laptop%20and%20attend%20real%20world%20events%20that%20interest%20us.%20%E2%80%A2%20Her%20Early%20Influences:%20Although%20Cecilia%20was%20raised%20in%20Virginia,%20her%20mother%20was%20born%20in%20Peru,%20and%20so%20while%20Cecilia%20grew%20up,%20she%20traveled%20extensively%20in%20South%20America.%20Cecilia%20says%20it%20was%20her%20mother%20who%20taught%20her%20to%20value%20different%20cultures%20and%20to%20always%20ask%20%E2%80%98why%E2%80%99%20questions%20to%20seek%20understanding.%20%E2%80%A2%20Her%20%E2%80%98Why%E2%80%99%20Questions:%20Why%20are%20children%20required%20to%20take%20English,%20math%20and%20sciences%20classes?%20Why%20are%20schools%20structured%20the%20way%20they%20are?%20Cecilia%20has%20a%20practice%20to%20never%20take%20the%20first%20answer%20as%20the%20right%20one.%20Instead,%20she%20says%20she%20asks%20%E2%80%98why%E2%80%99%20over%20and%20over%20again%20to%20truly%20understand%20a%20situation.%20%E2%80%A2%20Building%20For%20Expansion:%20During%20Cecilia%E2%80%99s%20last%20startup%20experience,%20she%20says%20she%20didn%E2%80%99t%20build%20for%20expansion,%20and%20so%20she%20faced%20difficulties%20when%20the%20business%20started%20growing.%20With%20Torus%20Teens,%20%E2%80%9CExpansion%20is%20baked%20into%20the%20planning,%E2%80%9D%20she%20says.%20%E2%80%A2%20On%20Living%20In%20Bolivia:%20Cecilia%20studied%20adult%20education%20in%20Bolivia%20for%20two%20years.%20She%20then%20finished%20an%20MBA%20in%20social%20entrepreneurship.%20%E2%80%A2%20Finding%20A%20Way:%20Cecilia%20could%20not%20afford%20to%20study%20in%20New%20York%20City,%20so,%20she%20says,%20she%20went%20to%20Bolivia%20for%20the%20experience,%20adventure%20and%20studies.%20By%20doing%20this,%20she%20was%20able%20to%20afford%20her%20education.%20It%20just%20goes%20to%20show%20that%20there%20are%20so%20many%20ways%20you%20can%20scrappily%20test%20and%20idea%20without%20getting%20yourself%20in%20a%20difficult%20financial%20situation.%20%E2%80%A2%20Learn%20More%20And%20Connect:%20Follow%20Torus%20Teens%20on%20Facebook%20and%20Twitter.%20%E2%80%93Interview%20by%20Polina%20Selyutin%20//%20Episode%2034%20Connect%20With%20Us:%20Like%20what%20you%E2%80%99re%20reading?%20Get%20weekly%20doses%20of%20I%20Want%20Her%20Job%20sent%20fresh%20from%20our%20desk%20to%20yours.%20Sign%20up%20here." rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Torus Teens</a>, an online tool for connecting teens with afterschool and summer programs with the leaders of our future – teens – in mind. The idea for Torus Teens came about after Cecilia had the realization that the majority of the free afterschool programs for teenagers were available, and sometimes just around the block, but many of the teens she knew were not even aware of them. So, she made a move to fill the need. Now the idea has blossomed into an organization that is supported by <a href="http://www.inc.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Inc.</a>, <a href="http://www.impactlab.us/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">ImpactLab</a>, <a href="https://urbanassembly.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Urban Assembly</a>, and <a href="http://www.abetterchance.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">A Better Chance</a>, among other organizations. And it’s this drive to help others that we admire so much. “I just don’t accept that all teenagers don’t get the chance to make themselves who they want to be … and explore those interests,” she says. We already have the resources today to change lives and open the doors for teenagers, but we just need to connect them with the opportunities, people and organizations that will make this happen. “We have the real potential to move the needle on the achievement gap, which has been widening over the last 30 years,” she says. “We can close that by harnessing programs and methods that are already in existence … We don’t really need more resources, we just need to use them better.” Learn more about what else drives Cecilia, why she really likes to wonder ‘why’ and more on episode 34 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast.

Cecilia Foxworthy of Torus Teens on Inspiring the Next Generation