1Selection
ZÉLIE is an independent organisation dedicated to women of impact worldwide, starting with Europe, so it looks for breadth: entrepreneurs, researchers, social innovators, authors and business owners, in different cities and trades, at different sizes and ages of venture, and with different routes into the work. It looks for work made with care and for people who are willing to share the context of how the work is done.
2Preparation
We do our homework first. We learn about you and your business, in any way you see necessary.
That might mean reading what has been written, looking at what you make or sell, or learning about your trade and your city.
3Inquiry
Conversations follow the questions provided by a small group of aspiring women of impact. You can skip any of them, and “pass” is a full answer.
Your account is welcome exactly as it is, whether it is mixed, contradictory or unfinished, and that is the beauty of it.
We ask about being a woman in business where it is part of your account, and we follow your lead. We do not assume it is the main thing about you.
You can decline any question, ask us to move on, or stop at any time.
4Recording
With your permission we record the conversation, and we take written notes of what we see. We keep recordings private and use them only to produce your feature and to check what was said. With your permission, we can keep your recording in our private archive for 1, 3, 5 or 10 years.
For now, ZÉLIE conducts its interviews in English only.
5AI disclosure
With your permission, recordings are transcribed, and the transcripts analysed, with the support of AI tools. We use them to save time and to organise information, not to write for you or in your place: a person listens to every recording, reads every transcript, and writes and edits every feature.
6Photography
If we meet in person, photographs are made on location, in your workspace or the specific context where we meet, where we can. The photographer’s role is to show where the work happens.
7Editing
We edit for clarity and length. We remove our own questions where they are not needed, cut repetition and false starts, and sometimes reorder for sense. We keep your words and your rhythm. We do not change what you meant, and we do not add words you did not say.
8Verification
Facts such as dates, figures and names are checked with you and, where possible, against public records. If we are not sure of something, we ask you. Figures that you give us in confidence are printed with your consent. Where something cannot be verified, we say so or leave it out.