Written by Victoria Sandberg and shared on Linkedin spring 2025. I was born in the USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in a time when there was no toilet paper, you could not buy bananas or lemons, & people lived in a collapsing communist state without the freedoms we take for granted today. But I actually come from a line of strong women building their own equity - starting with my great-great-grandmother, Mariam Gutman, who graduated from Dorpat University (today's University of Tartu) in 1915 as one of the first women with a doctor's degree. My mother, Olga, an entrepreneur, my greatest inspiration, & my first teacher - opened her first bank account in 1993, building her equity & securing her seat at the table in one of the greatest times of scarcity & uncertainty. I am only the second generation in my family to have a bank account, own real estate, & have the freedom of movement. Let that sink in. & yet, we are still closing the gap. Women own just 30% of businesses globally. Less than 20% of the world's land is owned by women. For every $1 of wealth a man owns, a woman owns just 32 cents. I often find myself frustrated by the fact that women are still not present in the rooms where real decisions are made. & it all comes down to one thing: ownership. If you don't have equity, don't own buildings, don't own your IP, you will never sit at the 'big boys' tables. So I got ridiculous audacity & started knocking on doors, building credibility, working hard, & slowly opening doors to rooms I never dreamt of sitting in. But here's the truth: you can't do it alone. It takes a village. It takes finding your people - those who push you forward, lift you up, & remind you that you belong in every room you step into. This is why communities like She told me a story & The House are so important to build & support. The drive I have today is the strength, brilliance, & rage of the women that came before me - both in my family & beyond. & the community that surrounds me now is what makes building possible. Thank you to all incredible women making this world a better place for all & to women in my community that make all dreams feel achievable. #WomenAndWealth #OwnershipMatters #FinancialIndependence #WomenEntrepreneurs #BuildYourLegacy #FindYourTribe #ItTakesAVillage Victoria Sandberg co-founder of She Told Me A Story, Malmö, Sweden The House - women's innovation hub in Malmö, Sweden Pirates of IMPACT, Malmö, Sweden