PURE LEAF ICED TEA, RECORD BREAKING TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE ALLYSON FELIX, AND SEEKHER FOUNDATION LAUNCH INAUGURAL "NO" GRANTS TO HELP WOMEN SAY "NO" AT WORK SO THEY CAN SAY "YES" TO THEMSELVES

Launching In Honor of Women's History Month, the grant program marks first step in $1 million commitment from Pure Leaf to dismantle barriers women face when saying "no"

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PepsiCo

Mar 10, 2022, 10:01 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Leaf Iced Tea believes "No is Beautiful" and is in pursuit of a world in which saying "no" at work is both easier and more culturally acceptable for women everywhere. Unfortunately, the financial and personal costs of saying "no" are often too high for women. To understand how to best support women saying "no" in the workplace in favor of saying "yes" to themselves, Pure Leaf commissioned a first-of-its-kind nationwide survey to determine the qualitative and quantitative "Cost of No." The data showed that:

The "No" Grants launch with a moving film featuring the most decorated American Track and Field athlete in recent history, Allyson Felix, who famously walked away from a contract with a major sponsor, while standing up for fair maternity and post-partum rights. In partnering with Pure Leaf, Allyson continues her fight for all those facing the repercussions of saying "no" at work.

Nearly 3 in 4 women think they'll experience negative outcomes when saying "no" at work, and 2 in 3 actually do.
Even more jarring, each time a woman says "no" to an ask in the workplace, she risks losing up to $1,406 in future earning potential.

Today, in honor of Women's History Month, Pure Leaf is launching the "No" Grants to help give women the ability to say "no" to asks at work in the short-term without bearing the added financial consequences. In partnership with The SeekHer Foundation – a women's empowerment and mental health non-profit – and Allyson Felix – the most decorated American Track and Field athlete in history and a renowned advocate for women's post-partum and maternity rights – the "No" Grants launch comes at a time when women across the country are expected to say "yes" to everything and everyone but themselves (work, side hustles, childcare and more). And this is just the first step—Pure Leaf is also committing $1 million over the next three years to funding partnerships and initiatives to support women who want to say "no" at work so that they can say "yes" to other personal, social, familial and cultural things in their lives.

Pure Leaf conducted its "Cost of No" research study in November 2021 through a survey of 1800 women aged 18-45. The rest of the findings were just as startling (see appendix for full results list):^A

Nearly 3 in 4 women think they'll experience negative outcomes when saying "no" at work, and nearly 2 in 3 actually do.^B
Each time a woman says "no" to an ask in the workplace, she risks losing up to $1,406 in future earning potential.
Across the millions of women in the workforce, saying "no" cost women a total of $55.3B in future earning potential.
Guilt is the #1 emotion women experience when saying "no" to work, family, and social tasks and obligations.
1 in 3 women have feelings of guilt when they say "no" at work.
The underrepresented minority (URM) workforce loses almost 40% more for saying "no" than other racial groups.

Each time an African America woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $1,406 in future earning potential
Each time a Hispanic woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $1,403 in future earning potential
Each time an Asian woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $871 in future earning potential
Each time a white woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $731 in future earning potential
On average, each time a woman says "no" in the workplace she risks losing $1,102 in future earnings potential

Grounded in this data, the "No" Grants will provide women with the ability to say "no" at work in the short-term – whether that's saying "no" to extra hours, overscheduling, coming in on a day off, etc. at work to participate in a continuing education class, attend a family event, or take a mental health day – without bearing the added financial consequences. The "No" Grants are dedicated to ensuring society hears her 'no' by celebrating her contributions and removing barriers, so she can finally say "yes" to her well-being. Each grant covers $1,406—the maximum amount women could lose in future earning potential each time they say "no" to an ask at work. The Pure Leaf "No" Grants program aims to reach 100 women in its inaugural launch, with the brand, Felix and the SeekHer Foundation awarding grants following each of three separate application periods (period 1: March-May, period 2: June-August and period 3: September-November).

"Since its launch in 2020, Pure Leaf's "No is Beautiful" campaign has encouraged people everywhere to say 'no' to the things that don't matter, so they can say 'yes' to things that do," says Julie Raheja-Perera, General Manager, North America, Pepsi Lipton Partnership. "That's why we are thrilled to launch the 'No' Grants in partnership with Allyson Felix and SeekHer. Both Allyson and SeekHer founder Dr. Monica Mo personally understand just how high the 'Cost of No' can be for women. We recognize that the inability to say 'no' to asks in the workplace has real consequences for women, including burnout and financial impacts. While we at Pure Leaf push for 'no' to be more widely accepted in society, the 'No' Grants are our first step toward helping women say 'no' in the workplace so they can say yes to the things that matter."

Since she famously walked away from a contract with a major sponsor while standing up for fair maternity and post-partum rights, Felix has become an advocate for women nationwide who face similar challenges. Her partnership with Pure Leaf to launch the "No" Grants continues her fight for all women facing the repercussions of saying "no" at work.

"Too often, the 'Cost of No' is too high for women, particularly those in minority communities," says Allyson Felix. "Each time a Hispanic or Black woman says 'no' in the workplace, she loses over $1,400 in future earning potential. I'm partnering with Pure Leaf because we must help women say 'no' at work without the worry of financial repercussions."

The SeekHer Foundation will serve as the official non-profit partner supporting the Pure Leaf "No" Grants. Founded by Dr. Monica Mo, PHD, the SeekHer Foundation works to bridge the gender gap that abounds in mental health, through advocacy, research and support for emerging leaders who are impacting change in their local communities and beyond.

SeekHer works with a community of advocates and allied organizations that are passionate about building a better world for women to thrive in together. In addition to financial support, applying to the "No" Grants automatically gives applicants access to SeekHer's personal development resources through their Community Care Program.

"The alignment of SeekHer's mission to Pure Leaf's mission and impact goals made this a natural alliance," says Dr. Mo. "At SeekHer, we strive to build a better, healthier and more inclusive world for women. This work with Pure Leaf comes on the heels of our recently published SeekHer Shift survey research on women's mental health, and the launch of our #WeHearHer Advocacy Council to call on organizations to hear women when they say 'no' in our workplace. We are excited to partner with Pure Leaf on the 'No' Grants and beyond, including offering every 'No' Grants applicant access to SeekHer's community care resources as well as bringing the research and insights from both of our teams together to help more employers truly lean in and 'hear her.'"

To apply for a "No" Grant, women can visit www.PureLeafGrants.com and share how they would use the funds to say "no". For more information on Pure Leaf and "No is Beautiful," please visit www.PureLeaf.com or follow @PureLeaf on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Since its launch in 2020, the Pure Leaf "No is Beautiful" campaign has encouraged people everywhere to reclaim and embrace the word "no," both when brewing iced tea and in life. In its products, Pure Leaf says "no" to artificial flavors, tea powders and concentrate and to anything that doesn't make Pure Leaf taste better. Beyond our teas, "No Is Beautiful" aims to inspire women to say "no" to the things that aren't important, so they can say "yes" to the things that do. With "No is Beautiful," Pure Leaf aims to create a world in which saying "no" is both easier and culturally accepted for women everywhere.

^AMethodology: 15-minute online survey conducted between November 9 and November 17, 2021, among 1803 women aged 18 – 45.
^BWomen were asked to rank their top three outcomes when saying no at work.

No pur nec. 50 US/DC, 18+ (19+ AL/NE). Ends 11/30. Rules/deadlines: pureleafgrants.com

APPENDIX
Exhibit 1: Full Research Study Findings

Nearly 3 in 4 women think they'll experience negative outcomes when saying "no" at work, and nearly 2 in 3 actually do.
Each time a woman says no to an ask in the workplace, she risks losing up to $1,406 in future earning potential.
Across the millions of women in the workforce, saying "no" cost women a total of $55.3B in future earning potential.
Guilt is the #1 emotion women experience when saying "no" to work, family and social tasks and obligations.
1 in 3 women have feelings of guilt when they say "no" at work.
The underrepresented minority (URM) workforce loses almost 40% more for saying "no" than other racial groups.

Each time an African America woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $1,406 in future earning potential.
Each time a Hispanic woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $1,403 in future earning potential.
Each time an Asian woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $871 in future earning potential.
Each time a white woman says "no" in the workplace, she loses $731 in future earning potential.
On average, each time a woman says "no" in the workplace she risks losing $1,102 in future earnings potential.

30% of women experience negative consequences for saying no at work once a month.
43% of women have said yes to a work task because they genuinely want to help…
But almost 2 in 5 women (38%) have said yes when they wanted to say no because they felt obligated to help.
Only around 15% of women reported feeling confident when saying no at work.
Of women who said "no" at work:

1 in 5 have to do the task anyway
1 in 6 lose out on pay
Almost 1 in 7 lose out on future shifts
Almost 1 in 8 are ignored
1 in 10 are fired

Note, these can be separated as separate line items where needed

Over half of women have said yes to staying late for a meeting when they wanted to say no.
Half (50%) of women have said yes to a project that falls outside their job description when they wanted to say no.
While 2 in 5 women said "yes" to a work task because they genuinely wanted to help, nearly as many women said "yes" because they felt obligated to help.

1 in 4 women (26%) have said "yes" at their jobs when they wanted to say "no" because they didn't want to be seen as difficult to work with.

1 in 4 women (25%) said yes when they wanted to say no at work because they didn't want to lose out on making money.
Nearly half (43%) of women have said yes to taking on an extra work project when they wanted to say no
The top outcomes women fear they'll experience when they say no at work are (perceived consequences):

I felt like the person asking me was disappointed or upset with me (21%)
I was concerned I would not be offered this opportunity again (17%)
I was concerned about what my coworkers would think of my decision (17%)
I felt like my boss/superior was disappointed or upset with me (16%)
I thought people would think of me differently or more negatively (16%)
I was scared I was going to be fired (14%)
I thought I might not be promoted or considered for a raise (13%)

Some of the top 5 reasons women say yes because they wanted to are:

I wanted to help (43%)
I enjoy the task/subject matter (36%)
I wanted to make additional money/overtime (35%)
I thought it would advance my career (33%)
My boss/supervisor asked me specifically (31%)

1 in 3 women (33%) felt relieved after saying no at work, but nearly the same amount (31%) thought their "no" upset or disappointed the person who asked them or their direct supervisor or manager

ABOUT PEPSICO
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ABOUT ALLYSON FELIX
Allyson Felix reigns as the most decorated American Track & Field athlete of all time after winning her bronze and gold medals in 2020 - her fifth and final Summer Games. Felix closes this chapter of her life with a mind-blowing, twenty-seven global medals and titles as both a World Record Holder and a Master's World Record Holder.

Felix continued to make history in Tokyo, by sporting racing spikes created by her company – lifestyle brand, Saysh – becoming the first athlete to race in their own spike. Launched post Summer Games in June 2021, Saysh not only aims to create an encouraging and supportive community for women, but it also designs and manufactures athletic-inspired footwear made for and by women, unlike most brands, whose shoes are created based off of men's feet and footwear. Running in her own spikes on the largest stage in the world, Felix exemplified that she is about more than just medals – she was running for change, equity and acceptance for women and girls everywhere.

Off the track, Felix is a fierce advocate for maternity rights for all women. In 2019, she wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times that called out a former sponsor for not providing guaranteed protections for pregnant athletes and new moms. (Felix gave birth to her daughter Camryn in 2018.) The public reaction to the piece put pregnancy discrimination in athletics in the spotlight, and the practice was heavily criticized. More female athletes came to Felix's side, offering up their stories. During the 2020 Summer Games, Felix alongside her new sponsor Athleta, created the Power of She Fund: Child Care Grant – a fund to assist mom-athletes with childcare while competing at the games.

Felix has always been passionate about children and serves as a member of the Right To Play board hoping to raise awareness for underserved children in developing regions.

Felix currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

ABOUT THE SEEKHER FOUNDATION
SeekHer Foundation is a non-profit organization on a mission to power more women for the greater good. By partnering with advocates and allied organizations, we're bridging the gender gap of mental health through advocacy, research and support for women-led communities to shift cultural norms holding women back from their well-being and success. SeekHer is an advocacy project powered by WellSeek, a social impact collective that's reimagining communities & workplaces to better support women's mental health.

Media Contact
Ali Lieberman | Edelman
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