Who Says You Can’t?

Rose Totino, one of many women inventors featured in Susan Casey’s book, Women Invent!, stands as a role model for Casey. “She was quite a lady,” Casey says of Totino, who invented the world’s first frozen pizza.

Author writes about go-getting women

Susan Casey’s list of “friends” is extensive. Some were born in the 1800s, while others haven’t graduated from high school yet. And many, she never met. But an avid researcher and lover of “detective work,” as she calls it, Casey combed through libraries across the country, hungry to meet women inventors. She now knows so much about them that she calls most—dead or alive—friends. “I feel like I know them,” she says.

Her far-reaching memory harkens back to a “brilliant” woman who came to the United States in the 1920s and built the first solar-heated house. She jumps to the story of the hardworking secretary Bette Graham, who secretly invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s to cover up her typewriting mistakes. Casey’s research was published in Women Invent!, a book about female pioneers of their time.

“These women were pursuing their interests in a very intelligent way—and following through,” Casey says. “They say, I’ll figure out a way to do it. I’m gonna make this happen. It’s inspiring.”

Casey talks about her favorite women inventors, unable to pick just one. She tells the story of Rose Totino, of the famous brand of frozen pizzas, like she’s a long-lost friend: “Rose settled in Minneapolis, and nobody there knew a thing about pizza,” she explains. “Rose would take pizza to the PTA when they were asked to do a potluck. And people thought, Wow, this is great! And it caught on!”

Casey’s book was published in 1997—just before the advent of the Internet and online search engines. She spent nearly 18 months in a Los Angeles library, “zipping” through microfiche and making notes for her book. “It was really fun. For a lot of these women, I had to search in books and call historical societies to find anything about them,” she says. “Now, I Google their name and five biographies pop up.”

Still, the lengthy research process is what Casey found fascinating. “Spending several years talking and researching about optimistic people is inspiring,” she says. “There’s a model of every kind of person in this book: chemists, balloonists, secretaries. When I speak, I teach girls and boys that anyone can use their ideas and create something terrific.”

Let a “Crisis” Become Your Catalyst for Success

From No More Mondays author Dan Miller

If you feel your career is on shaky ground, remember you are always in control of your attitude. How you respond to a career crisis can either put you on the path to new and greater success or send you on the “journey of the broke.” We asked business expert and entrepreneur coach Dan Miller for some tips on turning a crisis into an opportunity to create a career you love.

If someone is faced with being laid off, what are a couple ways she can recover quickly and get money flowing in again?

• Be crystal clear on your “transferable areas of competence.” If you can’t describe what it is you do well, no one will be excited about having you on their team.
• Maintain optimism. Being laid off can seem like a personal slam, but it’s critical that you remain positive on your ability to contribute. Low self-esteem and discouragement are highly transparent. Don’t let them sabotage the path you are on.
• “Expect” more success, not less. An unwelcome change can propel you to a higher level of success.
• What seems like a disaster may actually “wake up” some long-forgotten childhood dreams that can guide you into the most fulfilling and profitable season of your life.

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