“It’s all good. Everything is good.”
While these words may be tough to swallow given what’s currently happening in the world, our most recent guest Freida Rothman has based her outlook on business, and on life, on that very premise. And she has her grandparents to thank.
“[They taught me] how to see the good and how to see the beauty in everyday life. How to focus on the future and to always look ahead.”
While it’s easy to be calloused and think ‘but were Freida’s grandparents fighting over toilet paper and under fluid and confusing stay-at-home orders’ it should be noted that all four of her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. That’s right, they not only survived what was arguably the most significant genocide in history but went on to teach their children and their children’s children that there is still good to be found in the world.
“It’s so important to be positive, and focus on growth, even though it may seem like it’s not going that way. It’s just moving forward, one foot in front of the other and that’s what they did to survive.”
Freida is a second-generation jeweler, mother of four and an entrepreneur who most recently allowed this learned optimism to inspire her ‘Women of Strength’ campaign, ‘an ode to female endurance and fortitude, that honors the stories and sentiments of women that have shaped Freida as a mother, daughter and designer.’
It was easy to identify this special class of woman, especially after hearing their individual stories about courage, determination and endurance. Frieda’s own grandmothers are no longer with us so she chose to feature two sisters, Dolly and Suzy, who survived Auschwitz, cruel labor and a death march and eventually came to America with only hope. You can read and hear more of their story by visiting FreidaRothman.com.
In talking about her design process Freida mentioned that she will always “go with what [she] feels is best for [her] customers and [her] campaigns” and encouraged others to do the same. “I’m working for her” she says, ‘her’ being the woman who wears her jewelry, who wears the handbags, the eyewear. “Don’t work for what your buyer is looking for, work for her, that end consumer.”
So what did she most recently design for HER?
The STRENGTH Bracelet, ‘designed as a badge of honor, armor, for all women to continue persevering and never forgetting their strength.’ In Freida’s words, “if they can survive Auschwitz, then you can survive whatever you’re going through.”
In addition, a percentage of sales from the STRENGTH Bracelet are being donated to Nachas Health and Family Network, ‘a family-oriented, not-for-profit organization with a mission of preserving and boosting the emotional, financial and physical wellbeing of seniors, with a particular focus on Holocaust survivors.’
If you need further inspiration check out FreidaRothman.com for more on Freida and her story about becoming a successful female entrepreneur and to hear the tenacious stories of Dolly and Suzy. We’re pretty sure you’ll leave with a new perspective, some major gratitude and maybe a little of that infectious optimism.
