Business

To empower women, we have to empower fathers

WRAL sat down with Kuhns to discuss female empowerment, workplace disparities and to reflect on her career as a physician and business owner.

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Rebecca Kuhns
By
Hannah Webster
DURHAM, N.C. — Rebecca Kuhns says the past year, since opening Liberation Threads in downtown Durham, has been full of change, hard work and gratification.

“We’re just so excited with the way the community has embraced the store,” she said.

Kunhns left her full-time job as a hospital-based physician in Raleigh to open the store, which sells ethically-made women’s clothing with a focus on female empowerment.

The Raleigh native attended Yale University before completing her medical degree and psychiatry residency at UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

Kuhns still works part-time as a psychiatrist, but says she is thrilled to focus her energy on her long-time idea.

“My passion is empowering women around the globe,” Kuhns said. “As a physician, I was helping women at a micro-level, but now I can help women around the world. For women in developing countries to live lives of empowerment and freedom, that generally means steady employment.”

Liberation Threads’ inventory consists only of garments that are made ethically — meaning the workers are paid fairly, treated fairly and not exploited. Kuhns says that is something hard to find in today’s apparel market.

“Ethical fashion is a growing movement around the world, and I just felt it was time to bring a store to the Triangle.”

The store launched with clothing mainly made abroad, but Kuhns is setting no limits. The focus remains ethics and quality.

“As we’ve grown, we’ve found a real hunger for local and American-made clothing as well,” she said. “When people purchase garments, they know they're directly impacting job creation and empowerment of women around the world.”

WRAL sat down with Kuhns to discuss female empowerment, workplace disparities and to reflect on her career as a physician and business owner.

This conversation with Kuhns has been edited for clarity:
WRAL: Why did you open the store when you did?
RK: I left my private practice to go to a hospital-based job full time at a different hospital system, which didn’t turn out to be in the right fit. I found myself at a crossroads in my career. It was really out of that space of disappointment that launched me into a place of pursuing my passion.
WRAL: Can you think of a time when your career was impacted by your gender?
RK: There are so many moments. Anyone who says gender doesn’t matter has not worked as a woman in a professional setting.

In the job that I left shortly before opening the store, there were a lot of biases against strong women. I was at a point in my career when I did not internalize that and realized that was a broken system instead of something wrong with me. The advice of "play well with others" is so much trickier for women.

There are people that don’t like taking orders from younger women. So when you’re the boss as a woman, you have to navigate being agreeable and pleasant without bending over backwards, while not being a pushover either. It’s so difficult to be a woman professionally, not to mention motherhood too.

The fact that so many women still rise to do wonderful things is something we should celebrate more. The playing field truly isn’t equal.

WRAL: You mentioned motherhood, what can organizations do to support mothers in the workforce?
RK: We have to stop treating parenting as being a mother’s role. Companies need to support men in fatherhood. There needs to be an expectation that if a man has a 3 ½ year old, he may have to arrange daycare pickup. If a man has an infant, he may need to go to doctors’ appointments. Organizations shouldn’t expect men to only focus on work and make special exceptions for women. That doesn’t empower women. We need to accommodate parents. Society shifting our thoughts on that will help men step into an equal role at home. Men need to be supported as fathers. Until men struggle with “having it all,” then we will never have equality.
WRAL: How important do you think it is for people to pursue something they are passionate about?
RK: I think it’s amazing if you can create that in your life. But I’ll be very honest in saying it’s not always a season for that. Cultivating passion in whatever you’re doing is an important lesson to learn. There were many times in my medical training, and in residency, you have to fill many roles that may not be your passion or even your interest. But maintaining curiosity and energy even in those spaces prepares you well.

You may not always be pursuing a career that is fully your passion. The store is my passion, but there are parts that are so mundane. Finding interest and motivation in that is crucial.

WRAL: How important is professional female mentorship?
RK: It’s so important, but so is sponsorship. Women should really be willing to go to bat for other women. Advice is great, but having more advanced women who will advocate for you or promote you is just as important.
WRAL: If you could tell your 21-year-old self something, what would you say?
RK: Become known as a hard worker. Become known as curious. Become known as someone who is easy to get along with. I think with women, that can sometimes go too far. I don’t think women should be “people pleasers,” but I can be a bit of a bull in a china shop. I think developing traits that enable you to have success in an organization are important traits to have. So many times, opportunities open up because of what someone else has said about you. Your credentials are not just on paper. Be a person people enjoy working with and work well on a team.
What would you tell a young woman launching her career or professional life?
RK: It's an exciting time in our world to be a professional woman. I think we’re in a place as a society when we are starting to recognize that women don’t have to simulate men in the workplace. Women bring something special to organizations. Traditionally female traits can be really beneficial assets.

Photo by Allie Mullin

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