Listen to this articleTONE Networks is a video-based learning and development platform that aims to empower women through expert content, live coaching and a vibrant online community. Below is our recent interview with Gemma Toner, the Founder and CEO of TONE Networks:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to TONE Networks?
A: Life is a challenging balancing act of family, career, budgets and everything in between, and we created TONE with exactly that in mind. TONE is a collaborative community of like-minded women who believe in bettering themselves as well as helping others, making it an invaluable resource for women looking to learn and grow. Our goal is to make the lives of women better by lifting each other up with knowledge and support.
Q: Who makes your community of experts and executive coaches?
A: TONE’s community of experts and executive coaches is comprised of specialists, CEOs, executive coaches, scientists, therapists, consultants, doctors, educators, trainers and more. Our experts include highly trained professionals from vastly different fields who all have the same goal: to help other women improve their lives. They specialize in a range of topics women care about, from time management to relationships and personal finance. At TONE, we have truly gathered the best of the best to share their collective knowledge and help advance the lives of busy women in whatever aspect they may need.
Q: What are the benefits of using your services?
A: The benefits of using TONE are potentially endless, serving up customized content curated by personal interests. If you truly want to improve your life in any or all aspects, TONE can help you do that. Do you want to negotiate your salary? Do you want to get better sleep? Manage your stress? Set a household budget? TONE has every woman covered. We recognize that all of our members have different needs and will continue to adapt to meet the dynamic needs that arise within our community. In addition, TONE was specifically designed to fit into a busy day. The platform is a unique one-stop resource for women that allows them to grow personally and professionally while also catering to hectic schedules by providing short form content that is easily consumable on all devices. The beauty of TONE is we are there for women wherever and whenever.
Q: Who is your ideal customer?
A: Any woman who wants to learn, grow, flourish and connect with others. We do typically focus on early to mid-career women as in today’s fast-paced world are so often expected to have it all figured out on their own. At TONE, we know that women can do it all, but it always helps to empower and support each other by sharing experiences and advice. In our TONE community discussions, women can collaborate and share their experiences in order to make meaningful connections and help one another.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Looking ahead, we are excited to continue growing our network of members and experts in order to keep providing the very best information available, in short and manageable videos. We hope to reach more women who can benefit from our platform, with the help of our dedicated members and our global growth model. We also look forward to continuing to give back through partnerships with charities, such as with our Clicks for Good Campaign. We truly believe that we can change the world for the better by making ourselves better too.
Q: Tell me more about your recent partnership with the Atlanta Braves?
A: We are proud to be partnering with the Atlanta Braves as they pave the way for women in the sports arena. By partnering with TONE Networks, employees have exclusive access to development and coaching resources that cultivate success at work and home. We are proud to partner with our first professional sports team to continue to nourish and develop the amazing women within their organization by providing a constantly growing video library and an all-start team of credentialed experts.
Q: What do you believe should be highlighted on Women’s Equality Day?
A: Coming out of tech and data, I’m a numbers person; always have been. And, as I think about Women’s Equality Day, there are two numbers that I can’t get out of my head–99 and 208. It’s only been 99 years since women got the right to vote in the U.S. Think about that. The number 208 tells us how far we still need to go. According to the World Economic Forum that’s the number of years it will take to achieve gender equality. Alarming, and not the kind of numbers game any of us should play. As Melinda Gates says: equality can’t wait. It can’t. We all need to take action.
Closing the gender gap is a complex and layered problem. The research shows that working women are short on time and long on ambition. They were stuck and didn’t know how to advance themselves. In fact, they didn’t even know where to begin. I experienced the impact of executive coaching and knew that companies provide it but reserved it for a small percentage of employees. This is where I could help – I wanted to create a way for more women to get access to coaching and experts. I wanted to help women access these resources and provide them with a new and innovative way to learn. I wanted to get to them earlier in their careers. This is what I could do.
