On July 21, I got on a plane at Montréal-Trudeau airport, direction NYC. I was on my way to my first Her Conference taking place in Manhattan that weekend. Little did I know this weekend would have such a great impact on my way of seeing the world and, most importantly, myself.
I heard about the conference through my Her Campus emails, and I knew I wanted to go the minute I researched it. What caught my attention was the list of speakers from previous years and the fact that the topics were so relevant to my professional field. I went into the conference expecting it to be really oriented towards feminism and journalism, and I was eager to learn about these topics. The way the conference worked, was that there were sponsored activities upon arrival (raffles, makeovers and such), a morning keynote, two panels of your choice, lunch, an afternoon keynote, a third panel, and finally a closing keynote. This schedule was repeated over two days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After attending six panels and six keynotes, each extremely interesting, I can’t explain everything I learned because it would be an information overload for those who did not attend. However, here are my major takeaways from this conference and its speakers, which I hope will make you want to attend the conference next year!
1. Passion Vs. Talent: Find the balance
There was a lot of talk about doing what you love at the conference, but for many, myself included, it isn’t exactly clear yet what that is. As young adults, we’ve had time to learn, love, and practice many different things, but how do you pinpoint that one thing that you can say “I turned my passion into my job” without it being a professional Netflix-watcher? Well, Lisa Sugar, founder of POPSUGAR.com, explained how we can start figuring this out. This requires making a list of the things you love and enjoy, and another of the things you are actually good at. These could be complete opposites and it wouldn’t even matter; the point is to find the things that cross over from one side to the other, or finding a connection between something you’re good at and something you love.
2. Make sure to bring your passion into what you do
In many cases, what you do for a living may not be what you are passionate about. I learned at Her Conference that if you find a way to merge your passion into the things you do, may it be work, volunteering, protesting or academia, you will always be more successful if you find a way to integrate what you love.
3. We are not running out of time!
Many of us, especially young women, have this overbearing feeling that our time is running out, that we have to have it all figured out by 30 years old, often because of the idea of our “biological clock”. Thanks to an inspiring panel by Ann Shoket (former Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen Magazine), I came to the realization that it’s not about racing the clock to be where you want to be; it’s about taking and chasing amazing opportunities in order to learn on your way to reaching your goal. In terms of family, things have changed and it’s completely normal to have children later, or to raise children while kick starting your career. I learned that I need to stop focusing on planning, and start focusing on learning.
4. Sexual harassment: You are not alone
Gretchen Carlson was a keynote speaker on the Sunday morning, where she spoke about the events that took place during the American election in relation to the clip that was released of President Trump talking about her when saying the line “grab her by the p****.”She spoke openly about how her life and career has been affected by sexual harassment and how she overcomes it. What I learned though, was more about all the young women around me than about the one speaking in front; we were all very quiet and emotional, many even brought to tears. I realized that we have all dealt with this issue in our short lives. It was really beautiful to see everyone in the room come together and feel such strong emotion together. However, it was also heartbreaking considering the reason, which really left an impact on how this issue needs to be faced. In Gretchen Carlson’s words, “we have to all collectively decide to speak up.”
5. Say yes!
A common theme over the course of the weekend was taking every opportunity. Whether it’s something totally different from your line of work, or a prospect in a totally different geographical setting, if an opportunity presents itself which interests you in the slightest bit – say yes. Worst case scenario, you will learn a whole new set of skills and you will look at things from a different perspective! Best case scenario, you fall in love with something completely unexpected and it changes your life.
6. We need to talk more about money
One thing that really stayed with me was a fact pointed out by Ann Shoket. “Us women, we don’t really speak about money.” Shoket said. She was saying how throughout her years of researching her clientele (young women), she noticed that in regards to women’s careers, we are much more focused on being treated equally and with respect than on our paycheck. She pointed out how this needs to change! We have the right to focus on how much we make as much as men do, and to talk numbers freely. We need to start a conversation among women about salary in order to be informed and motivated!
7. I can really do anything I put my mind to
Before this conference, I always thought this expression was a load of crap – excuse my language. After hearing from so many inspirational entrepreneurs, celebrities and leaders, all of them telling us they started in our shoes it really provided me with hope, inspiration and confidence. Many of the things I learned at this conference, I have actually integrated into my everyday life. As long as I work really hard and I am passionate about what I’m doing, I really can achieve great success. Looking at the world thinking “There are so many things I can do, things I can learn, and goals to achieve” rather than thinking about all the things I am not good enough at has really changed my outlook on everything.
Overall, I came back from this conference feeling totally refreshed and inspired. It may seem over the top, but I promise it kind of changes your life – at least it did for me. I encourage anyone interested in the media industry, looking to better themselves, or who is simply curious to research Her Conference 2018 as tickets usually come out in November!