Get Inspired → Create Change
The Question Asked at The Yellow Conference
I was at a coffee shop in LA contemplating buying a $20 juice when I spotted an ad in a newspaper (yes, those still exist) calling for creative women to attend something called the Yellow Conference. Being both a creative and a woman, I figured I should to check it out. It looked awesome. Two weeks later I was back on a plane to LA along with my coworker Melissa, ready to be inspired.
According to its website, the Yellow Conference “exists to gather and equip creative women to use their passion, strengths, and influence to serve the greater good”. There was a great lineup of both female and male speakers who all had stories to tell — some were entrepreneurial, some were deeply personal, and all of them had a common theme of using their creativity for good.
Melissa and I decided that rather than summarize all of the speakers, we would gather a variety of perspectives from attendees by asking everyone the same question:
As a woman, what is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
Teach, speak, talk to people. Especially growing up in a Baptist community where a woman’s place is not leading and people think that women CAN’T lead, teach, etc. and so I have that in the back of my head that that’s not my place, that’s not what I’m supposed to be doing. But I also know that there’s this booming voice inside of me that this IS what I’m supposed to be doing. People say that what I’m doing isn’t logical and doesn’t make sense but I think I’m called to do these things, to lead. The should versus the must.
I know without a doubt and very fervently that this is what I’m supposed to be doing and changing lives, and filling in truths, and speaking.
Everyone can tell you what you can and cannot be doing but at the same time if you know it and you feel it. Every day you’re waking up and this is what’s keeping you from falling asleep then this is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.
Arielle, Speaker / Author
The biggest challenge I face as a women would be the fact that one day I would like to start having kids. That tends to be a topic when I am thinking about a career advancement. The question is, are you going to want all this on your plate with a family to think about? It shouldn’t matter if I want to have kids; I want a career. I also work in an industry (groceries) that is mostly men in their late 40’s early 50’s who do not want to listen to a woman about an innovative idea that could change the way people shop. The response I get a lot is, “I’ve been doing this job since before you were born, ideas come and go, I’ve seen them all.” My age, gender, etc should not matter when innovations come into play. If you are not changing with the culture then you will fall behind no matter the industry.
Carlye, Manager
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a woman in my career is “imposter syndrome.” It’s the constant fear of being exposed as a “fraud” and that my accomplishments have all been an accident. It takes conscious effort to stop replaying stories in my mind that simply aren’t true! I often think to myself, “The story I am telling myself is ABC, but I know that’s not true because of XYZ that has happened in the past.”
Lauren, Marketing Manager
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a woman in my career (at Westlake Chemical) is gaining confidence to tackle projects that are outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been given responsibilities that are not aligned with my background or inherit skill sets (Finance/Accounting Analyst). For example, I manage our payroll for the plant and also the 4 physical inventory counts each month. It is scary sometimes learning new areas, but the end result was a stretched brain to find the best way to complete the tasks, compiling the right questions to ask, and gaining confidence to tackle the next goal that may be outside of my comfort zone.
Britney, Finance Analyst
Throughout my career in tech, there has always been a lack of female leadership. Tech is a male-dominated field and it’s important that women have support from other women, particularly those more senior, to mentor and share experiences. To help alleviate these obstacles, I’m working on creating a female-focused employee resource group at Ticketfly that will build a support system for women within the company. It also pushes me to work towards my goal of one day becoming a manager to help positively impact other female designers in their careers.
Allison, Designer
As a female engineer, my biggest challenge that I face on an almost-daily basis, is what’s known as The Confidence Gap. Being a minority among my peers, something that all females experience in the tech field, only emphasizes this confidence issue that we face. It’s a tough balance, since women are often perceived negatively if they’re too assertive but as a group, we often don’t speak up for ourselves and our ideas because we aren’t as confident. Women naturally perceive their own abilities as being less than they are, while men tend to have an elevated sense of what they’re capable of. That, combined with being one of the few women among our peers, in meetings, and on projects makes it more difficult and less likely for women’s voices to be heard. The good news is this issue can, and often is, being addressed. Managers and male engineers need to be trained to understand this bias and to create a safe space for women to speak. Female engineers need to (at least pretend to) be more confident than how they actually feel and speak up about their ideas. Luckily, at Ticketfly, I have experienced a lot of trust and open dialogue with my manager, director and even the VP of engineering (all men) which helps decrease the confidence gap. There’s still a long way to go in the tech industry, but through educating, training, and collaborating together, we can get to an equal place for all us techies.
Melissa, Engineer
It was great to meet and talk with so many women who, despite facing challenges, are making a difference. Our experience was eye-opening and enlightening. Creativity, leadership, talent, and positivity all under one roof. What could be better than that?
Love, Allison & Melissa
Thanks to Ticketfly for sending us.
