Niagara Falls, ON (Rural Roots Canada) – At the Advancing Women in Agriculture East Conference, business leader and speaker Anne Miner shared insights on a trait she believes every entrepreneur needs.

“Every entrepreneur has to have grit,” Miner stresses.

Miner says it was American academic and psychologist Angela Duckworth who defined grit as passion and perseverance in pursuit of long-term goals and, inspired by that message, prompted Miner to launch Women with Grit, a community, classroom, podcast, and blog that’s designed to help women strengthen their determination.

“Angela’s research showed that the best predictor of long-term success is grit,” explains Miner. “It’s not IQ, not gender, not education, not socioeconomic status, but grit.”

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Miner says the word itself stands for growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity, four traits that define strong women in both business and agriculture.

“When you’re feeling run down, I refer to Mother Teresa’s poem Do It Anyway. Despite everything, do it anyway,” she says.

It’s a message Miner believes resonates deeply with women in agriculture, those who know what it means to persist even through the toughest seasons.

And her goal is simple. “That every woman who hears about grit is reassured and reminded that she, too, can pursue her passion in pursuit of a long-term goal.”