Preview: Lori Gillett (plus professional women and Covid-19's impact)

About a month ago, Columbus Business First hosted its annual Mentoring Monday event. Dozens of accomplished and up-and-coming professional women gathered at the Grand Event Center in Grandview Yard to share wisdom, build connections and hear a live recording of our Women of Influence podcast with Lori Gillett, CEO of Corna Kokosing. Then the world changed. Within weeks of that event, the Arnold Sports Festival was partially canceled, schools were closed and people started working from home, as the governor issued orders to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In short: it'll be a while before we're able to hold an event like that again. But that doesn't mean the sharing of wisdom has to stop. In this week's Women of Influence mini-episode, you'll hear a sampling of my conversation with Gillett, who talked about how she uses the "power of two" to make her voice heard as a woman in the workplace. And you'll also hear what I've heard from professional women who are attempting to adjust to balancing their professional and personal lives in a way they've never had to before, as they try to get work done while their children are at home. As a non-parent, I don't have much personal wisdom (or frustration) to relate, but I chatted with friends, colleagues and the women of Central Ohio's business community to get a few thoughts to share.