Rising Stars: Meet Nancy Ruffin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Ruffin.

Hi Nancy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The FIERCE Woman which is an acronym that stands for Females Inspiring Empowering Recognizing & Cultivating Evolution is committed to leveling the playing field for women with unequal access to career development, technology and economic opportunity. We believe with the right resources, tools, and training women will blaze trails of positive change that will leave a lasting impact in our communities for years to come. Throughout the year, we facilitate a number of seminars & training programs focused on professional and Personal Development. We work with individuals as well as organizations specializing in self-awareness and emotional intelligence in the workplace, creating connections through storytelling, strategic visioning, and how to leverage technology to promote and expand your brand and online presence.​ In 2012, after the birth of my first daughter I became more aware of the kind of woman I wanted to be. As a new mom now responsible for raising a young girl into a woman, I knew if I wanted her to be fearless, ambitious, strong, kind, empathetic, confident, nurturing, supportive, relentless, among many other things then I would have to be the example of those things. That is when the idea for The FIERCE Woman began to formulate in my mind. I knew then that I wanted to manifest something where all of these things would come together to create something great. ​

In April of 2014 with nothing more than an idea and a will to create a platform where women could unite, network, inspire each other, support and learn from each other, The FIERCE Woman was officially born. I did not know if my idea would be successful, but something stirred inside me and I knew that I had to listen to my inner voice. I listened to my heart, followed my passion and began planning my first event not knowing if anyone would attend. As with anyone who does something for the first time, I was afraid of failing. I was afraid that I would give it my all and no one would show. But I was wrong. I planned the first event and to my surprise it sold out. What I had set out to do was really happening and it was exciting.​Fast forward to present day, The FIERCE Woman has curated dozens of empowerment events, facilitated countless workshops and has expanded into a personal and professional development consulting agency. During these past six years, we have connected hundreds of women, honored 20 women at our annual FIERCE Woman awards ceremony, partnered with a local school to raise funds for a new computer lab, worked with its 4th-grade class for three consecutive years to promote literacy by helping them self publish their own poetry anthology, hosted annual back to school backpack and holiday toy drives, and hosted our annual teen girls summit. With all, we’ve done in such a short amount of time we are committed to doing more, helping more, & giving more.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to success is never easy. It is paved with challenges and roadblocks along the way. There are times where the struggles are so overwhelming that you doubt yourself, contemplate giving up, but then you have to remind yourself of why you started and push through. The greatest struggle for anyone starting from scratch, at least for me was funding and getting people to take you seriously.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an award-winning writer and empowerment coach committed to empowering women to discover their purpose and live their best lives. My self-help book Live On Purpose won the 2014 International Latino Book Award for Best Self-Help book. As a modern thought leader, success coach, and transformation expert I work with individuals committed to career success and leadership development. My nearly 20 years of experience as a business professional in the Health Care industry leading large teams & driving performance improvement initiatives has allowed me to use my leadership, communication, & team-building skills to engage & develop the next generation of corporate leaders. In 2014, tired of attending women empowerment events that fell short on their mission to support, empower, and inspire women, I took the legal steps to formally establish The FIERCE Woman as a LLC in an effort to fill that void. I wanted to create an organization that not only supported and empowered women but was also committed to their development and growth. Additionally, I am a fierce community activist and social justice advocate. I am a firm believer in the West African concept of Sankofa. Sankofa is an Akan term that literally means “to go back and get it.” Loosely interpreted, Sankofa’s principle is simple, as we rise and excel it is our responsibility to reach back and help others. That is the principal that The FIERCE Woman is founded upon.

For me, The FIERCE Woman is my way of reaching back. My goal is to empower, support, and connect women globally so that we can learn from, grow, and build with each other. As a seasoned speaker, facilitator, and host I have been invited to share my work and give keynote speeches at prominent organizations like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, S&P Global and United Bank of Switzerland’s (UBS). In 2019 I partnered with Google on a digital marketing seminar where we provided tools and resources to help entrepreneurs and small business owners grow their business. In March 2020, I was honored during the 2020 Spring Somos Conference of The New York State Assembly Puerto Rican-Hispanic Task Force for my accomplishments as a leader, philanthropist and contributions to the advancement of the Puerto Rican-Hispanic community. Lastly, as the host of the Tecla nominated weekly podcast, The Nancy Ruffin Show (formerly known as The Empowerment Hour podcast, I use my platform to inspire and empower individuals to live life on their own terms. Through personal anecdotes and storytelling, I demonstrate how discovering the power within can be used to turn obstacles into opportunities, trials into triumphs, and grit into glory by overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges and succeeding in the process.​

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The best piece of advice I can give to someone just starting is to have a very clear why. Understanding the why behind your business will keep you committed on the days you feel like quitting. If you don’t know why you’re in business, it will be easy to give up when things get tough. And they will get tough.

Contact Info:

• Email: nancy@thefiercewoman.org
• Website: www.iamnancyruffin.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamnancyruffin
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamnancyruffin
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamnancyruffin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/nancyruffin

Image Credits:
Angie LMV Photography and Marcus Isaac Photography