The East Sider: Sierra Barter

Photo by Michael Cevoli

Often, the best new inventions are created in order to fill a previously unnoticed void, through answering an unanswered question. In Summit resident Sierra Barter’s case, that question was, “Why aren’t there more women – specifically younger women – at the networking events I attend in Providence?”

A native Wisconsinite, Barter moved to Rhode Island in 2005 to attend Johnson & Wales University, and is now employed managing her alma mater’s social media after earning a degree in Marketing & Communications in 2009. 

As her professional career progressed post-graduation, Barter met Julie Sygiel, founder of the performance underwear company Dear Kate, at one of the aforementioned female-underrepresented networking events in the city. Both found themselves lamenting the fact that they knew so many amazing women, but none of those women knew each other. Many were doing exciting things as “side hustles” or volunteering, so why weren’t they working together?

From these questions, The Lady Project was born, with a mission to “connect, inspire and showcase amazing women doing awesome things through events, membership and community engagement.” Starting with an impressive first event turnout of 60 people in 2012, The Lady Project has now grown to 11 cities, with Dallas, Texas being the latest addition at the end of April.

“We didn’t originally intend it to go to other cities,” says Barter. “It just sort of happened that way. A friend who had interned with WaterFire moved to New Haven and decided she wanted to do something similar there – Boston was next. It has grown organically as people have heard about the concept or moved from Providence to other towns.”

Each year, The Lady Project holds a 300-person summit in Providence, with women coming from all over the country to attend. The rest of the year, the group meets through after-work networking receptions as well as active events like yoga, spin or barre classes and running groups, usually with a social component after the class. A quarterly book club is an option too, and members are invited to host their own workshops. The Lady Project also partners with many nonprofits to help fundraise and drive awareness, hosting events like a holiday drive for RI Food Bank, a feminine hygiene drive for Crossroads and helping others like Year Up and Amenity Aid.

This month, The Lady Project will release its Summer Guide, an online guide designed and curated by members on how to “make it your best summer in Rhode Island.” A celebration will take place on June 1, and you can learn more at www.LadyProject.org.

If You Had One Wish to Enhance Life on the East Side, What Would It Be?
“I love where I live. Most young people living in cities are used to moving every year, but I’ve been in my same apartment five years now. I can walk to Hope Street and Blackstone Boulevard, but I do wish we had a few more options for restaurants in the Hope Street area, even though I love the ones I go to regularly. Aside from that, my biggest wish is for a yoga, Barre or Pilates studio that I could walk to. If someone opened one up in my neighborhood, I would totally go.”