<h6 data-mce-fragment="1">Behind every great woman is her Community</h6>
As a wearer of TFR Shoes, we already know you're a trailblazer - and let’s face it, sometimes being out front can feel isolating. As modern women, every aspect of our lives demands 100%.  How do we manage being the best businesswoman, mother, friend, daughter, and astronaut-by-day-rockstar-by-night that we can be? 
Strength in Numbers
Research shows that women are <a href="https://thewell.northwell.edu/womens-health/importance-of-female-friendships#:~:text=One%20study%20found%20that%20women,have%20this%20type%20of%20support." data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://thewell.northwell.edu/womens-health/importance-of-female-friendships#:~:text=One%20study%20found%20that%20women,have%20this%20type%20of%20support.">more successful</a>, <a href="https://insidecolumbia.net/womens-health/how-female-friendships-improve-our-mental-health/#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20having%20close,behavior%20and%20improve%20overall%20health." data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://insidecolumbia.net/womens-health/how-female-friendships-improve-our-mental-health/#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20having%20close,behavior%20and%20improve%20overall%20health.">happier</a>, and even <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-community/201903/women-stronger-communities-may-cheat-death" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-community/201903/women-stronger-communities-may-cheat-death">healthier</a> when they have a supportive community. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1721438116" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1721438116">One study</a> found that women with a strong personal network are more than twice as likely to obtain higher authority positions and increased pay, particularly if their friends are in leadership roles themselves. Strong friendship circles help us stay informed, combat stress, boost confidence, and tackle good old imposter syndrome.
Personal  networks are also good for our health. When we bond with others, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-reasons-community-essential-success-wellbeing-women-alisha-lubben-2j2he/" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-reasons-community-essential-success-wellbeing-women-alisha-lubben-2j2he/">we release oxytocin</a>, which helps reduce stress and promote positive emotions. Friendships create greater feelings of trust and empathy, enhance memory performance, even strengthen our immune systems. It is chemically proven that women are empowered physically and mentally by their relationships with other women. Our goal:  Friendships that Empower.
Welcome to The Formation
Welcome to the Formation, where your independence and strength translates into greater power for all. Your new community is filled with trailblazing women from diverse backgrounds and industries, where you can share and celebrate your accomplishments. You can also vent a little, share and receive advice - all in a judgment free zone. Tell us your triumphs and your challenges. Be an inspiration to those that also inspire you! Every TFR style of shoe is named after a female leader that has fearlessly blazed a trail.
The Formation Exclusives
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<li>Membership in The Formation also gives you special perks from TFR Shoes:</li>
<li>Styling tips, mood boards and fashion edits from our network and guest experts</li>
<li>Inspiring interviews and thought pieces from wonder women across industries</li>
<li>Behind-the-scenes insights on the TFR Shoes design and creation process</li>
<li>Early access to TFR product drops</li>
<li>Unique-to-you, shareable digital art pieces</li>
<li>The chance to share feedback on what you want to see from TFR - because we are always striving to be the best we can for you</li>
</ul>
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See our <a href="https://theformation.tfrshoes.com/member-benefits">Member Benefits</a> page for a full list of exclusive benefits!
Find Your Inspiration
Success is rarely achieved alone. And all women, no matter how tough, do better reaching their potential when they’re in a community. So, once again, a warm, warm welcome to The Formation!  We are here to help you grow alongside other accomplished women. 
Find all our community content at <a href="http://theformation.tfrshoes.com." data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="http://theformation.tfrshoes.com.">theformation.tfrshoes.com.</a> See you there!
 
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Page, D. (2023, March 27). The lifelong benefits of strong female friendships. The Well by Northwell. <a href="https://thewell.northwell.edu/womens-health/importance-of-female-friendships" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://thewell.northwell.edu/womens-health/importance-of-female-friendships">https://thewell.northwell.edu/womens-health/importance-of-female-friendships</a>
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Harmon, J. (2023, August 31). How female friendships improve our mental health. Inside Columbia. <a href="https://insidecolumbia.net/womens-health/how-female-friendships-improve-our-mental-health" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://insidecolumbia.net/womens-health/how-female-friendships-improve-our-mental-health">https://insidecolumbia.net/womens-health/how-female-friendships-improve-our-mental-health</a>
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Freeborne, N. (2019, March 20). Women with stronger communities may cheat death. Psychology Today. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-community/201903/women-stronger-communities-may-cheat-death" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-community/201903/women-stronger-communities-may-cheat-death">https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-community/201903/women-stronger-communities-may-cheat-death</a>
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Yang, Y., Chawla, N., Uzzi, B. (2019). A network’s gender composition and communication pattern predict women’s leadership success. University of California, Irvine, CA, 116 (6) 2033-2038. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1721438116
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Lubben, A. (2023). 7 reasons why community is essential for the success and wellbeing of women. LinkedIn. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-reasons-community-essential-success-wellbeing-women-alisha-lubben-2j2he/" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-reasons-community-essential-success-wellbeing-women-alisha-lubben-2j2he/">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-reasons-community-essential-success-wellbeing-women-alisha-lubben-2j2he/</a>
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Behind every great woman is her Community

The Formation Helps You Walk The Extra Mile

Gretchen in the KATHARINE loafer (photo credit: Dhiren Dasu)
Gretchen Andrew hacks systems of power with art, code, and glitter. Originally conceived as an experiment (Can the internet make me into an artist?) Gretchen left Silicon Valley in 2012. Since then, a unique merger of traditional mediums and strategic information technology has led her name and visual “vision board” aesthetic to be one of the most recognizable amongst her generation of artists.
<a href="https://www.gretchenandrew.com/">gretchenandrew.com</a>

Gretchen Andrew: Digital Artist

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Photo credit: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/fox/katharine-graham/" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/fox/katharine-graham/">The Washington Post</a>
 
 
<h6>The inspiration behind the shoe that started it all. </h6>
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Our inaugural loafer, the Katharine, gets its name from trailblazer and Washington Post luminary, Katharine Graham. Though Miss Graham was born into The Washington Post––her financier father having purchased it in 1933––it was under Katharine’s leadership that the face of journalism was forever changed.
Katharine was led to her position at the helm of The Washington Post when her husband, president and former publisher of The Washington Post, Phillip Graham, committed suicide. But it was not a seamless transition. In the 1970s, women in journalism, let alone positions of authority, were uncommon. While we celebrate Katharine’s headstrong leadership today, it took her years to find her voice in a male-dominated industry. 
Though she was one of the first female CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, as well as one of the first female publishers, it was Graham’s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, effectively exposing the Watergate scandal and eventually leading to the resignation of Richard Nixon, that helped solidify the magnitude of her cultural contribution. What binds Katharine to the women who inspire TFR, however, is her determination, grace, and conviction.
The Katharine loafer is imbued with elegance and versatility, a nod to the woman who forever altered journalism, paving the way for female CEOs, publishers, and writers. You could say we’ve got big shoes to fill.
 
 
SHOP KATHARINE

The inspiration behind the shoe that started it all.

Why Katharine and Who Is She?

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Photo credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Marie was the first female Nobel Prize winner in Physics (1903) and remains the only person to win two Nobel Prizes in separate science disciplines.

Marie Curie: First Female Nobel Prize Winner

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Photo credit: <a href="https://www.sailmagazine.com/web-exclusives/womens-history-spotlight-h%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne-de-pourtal%C3%A8s">Sail Magazine</a>

Helene was the first woman to compete in the Olympic Games, winning the Gold and Silver medal in Sailing at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

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