Martine Resnick is certainly no stranger to a frenetic lifestyle. Working for large corporations in television, retail, media, and beauty, she moved from the UK to the US in her late 20’s, where she spent the last fifteen years. Once she and her husband had 2 children, both under two, she decided it was time to move in a new direction. “I saw 40 on the horizon and said, ‘This doesn’t fit anymore.’” The political and social climate in the US at the time, alongside a wave in the women’s movement, created a perfect storm and the inspiration behind the Atlanta-based women’s business community – The Lola. “We’re a members club, a workspace and a digital membership community for professional women,” describes Martine. “The aim was to build a collaborative space of diverse professional women from different industries, backgrounds, cultures, races and walks of life. We discourage unhealthy competition or ‘grind culture’. The Lola is somewhere where everyone feels seen and supported.”
A leap of faith
In 2010, Alaró provided the perfect setting for Martine and her husband Erik’s wedding, and a love affair with Mallorca was cemented. “When the pandemic hit Erik said to me ‘all right if we want to do Mallorca, now is the time.’” And so, in August 2021 Martine and her family made the move. And what about The Lola? “Technology is so great. We run our business pretty asynchronously through Airtable, Trello, Slack, and all these amazing platforms and apps. The need for constant in-person connection and calls is reduced when you tap into that,” she explains.
Local collaboration and support
While she’s connected online remotely with The Lola community in Atlanta, Martine acknowledges it’s also important to have a network outside of your immediate work environment. “I think these things are serendipitous, but I came across the hc/ Connect & Grow community, so I reached out,” she tells us. “I truly believe in the value of getting to know other professionals and entrepreneurs on the island and sharing resources. I just love what Helen’s building here because I do think it’s important to gain different perspectives from people from different walks of life and different industries.” Martine describes her experience, especially in America, of a very Western mentality and individualistic culture. “The older I get I just don’t buy it. We can’t get anywhere without each other, and humans are naturally a social species. At The Lola, we believe success is found in the people you surround yourself with – in networking, sharing ideas, collaboration over competition, and a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ kind of mentality. When you intentionally build that support system it’s magical.”
Text by Ché Miller | Photos by Sara Savage
