If it wasn’t for a fire that flared on a warm and windy night 150 years ago, Betsy Ziegler might not be leading the best incubator in the world today for women starting new enterprises.

But in October 1871, the great Chicago Fire exploded and burned much of the city to the ground just as winter was approaching. Emerging from such devastation took grit, resilience, and creativity on a vast civic scale. Yet within a few decades, Chicago had rebuilt to achieve national and international prominence.

That spirit of innovation and determination is honored in the name of the nonprofit innovation hub — 1871 — where Betsy is CEO today. One of the things she loves about her job is “getting to spend each day with people who believe any problem can be solved.” That includes creating and supporting programs to get young girls interested in STEM fields so that the face of technology’s future is more female.

The journey to leading 1871, though, took Betsy through some profound challenges of her own. How she rethought her path at key moments is a lesson in listening to intuition. Click here to learn more about Betsy and honoring the power of intention and imagination.