Jae Ok Gong

Dyslexia chapbook : she was DiVINELY created by greater forces Jae Ok Gong

Written by Victoria Sandberg and shared on Linkedin spring 2025.

I was born in the USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in a time when there was no toilet paper, you could not buy bananas or lemons, & people lived in a collapsing communist state without the freedoms we take for granted today.

But I actually come from a line of strong women building their own equity - starting with my great-great-grandmother, Mariam Gutman, who graduated from Dorpat University (today's University of Tartu) in 1915 as one of the first women with a doctor's degree.

My mother, Olga, an entrepreneur, my greatest inspiration, & my first teacher - opened her first bank account in 1993, building her equity & securing her seat at the table in one of the greatest times of scarcity & uncertainty.

I am only the second generation in my family to have a bank account, own real estate, & have the freedom of movement. Let that sink in.

& yet, we are still closing the gap.

Women own just 30% of businesses globally.
Less than 20% of the world's land is owned by women.
For every $1 of wealth a man owns, a woman owns just 32 cents.

I often find myself frustrated by the fact that women are still not present in the rooms where real decisions are made. & it all comes down to one thing: ownership.

If you don't have equity, don't own buildings, don't own your IP, you will never sit at the 'big boys' tables.

So I got ridiculous audacity & started knocking on doors, building credibility, working hard, & slowly opening doors to rooms I never dreamt of sitting in.

But here's the truth: you can't do it alone. It takes a village. It takes finding your people - those who push you forward, lift you up, & remind you that you belong in every room you step into. This is why communities like She told me a story & The House are so important to build & support.

The drive I have today is the strength, brilliance, & rage of the women that came before me - both in my family & beyond. & the community that surrounds me now is what makes building possible.

Thank you to all incredible women making this world a better place for all & to women in my community that make all dreams feel achievable.


#WomenAndWealth
#OwnershipMatters
#FinancialIndependence
#WomenEntrepreneurs
#BuildYourLegacy
#FindYourTribe
#ItTakesAVillage


Victoria Sandberg

co-founder of

She Told Me A Story, Malmö, Sweden
The House - women's innovation hub in Malmö, Sweden
Pirates of IMPACT, Malmö, Sweden