The idea for Moxie came about when Lauren and Becka were students at AU. “One night, we were sitting in Tenleytown, eating onion rings at Z-Burger, and started talking about how hard it was to find magazines and websites we felt taught us the skills we really needed for the real world – a place we could go that was fun and uplifting, with articles that interested us, but also helped us get a grasp on what life beyond AU was like,” says Becka.

Following their graduation from AU, the idea of establishing Moxie was put on while Becka and Lauren began their professional careers and adjusted to life after college. However, a few years in the working world helped them to realize how much they needed Moxie. Becka reached out to Lauren with a simple text: “Hey, do you remember that magazine we designed in college? Would you want to make it happen?” and within a week Moxie had a name, a theme, and a vision.

Moxie now operates as an online community for women. “I like to think of Moxie as an internet version of getting advice from your smartest, most accepting girlfriends,” said Becka.

Becka and Lauren oversee a staff of volunteer writers, a social media intern, and a content creation intern, managing most of the work remotely. They also hold bi-weekly check-ins over the phone and quarterly retreats to ensure Moxie is on track with long-term goals.

So far, Moxie has been received positively in the DC community, but their Moxie is just beginning. “I want to inspire women to think and dream big, and to love and accept themselves, learn from their mistakes, and plow forward with guts, enthusiasm, and drive,” said Becka.

Both women credit AU with significantly influencing both their lives and the creation of Moxie. “On the basic level, Moxie would not exist without AU because that is where Becka and I met each other. But I also think AU was a great environment to witness the strength in women,” says Lauren.