GEMS FROM THE EBONY MAGAZINE WOMEN UP BRUNCH

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

Today, I attended the Ebony Magazine Women Up Panel Brunch in Philadelphia as a guest of Team Hennessy.  I was very happy I went to this event because the information that was shared was great. It was sponsored by Moët Hennessy brands, Belvedere, Hennessy and Chandon, Miss Jessies, Comcast and the Hilton Hotels. They did a great job putting it together and a great job mixing those brunch cocktails lol! I even ran into a few friends that I had no clue were attending. Great event with a lot of even better women!

The purpose of the event was to honor women in business and in technology. The panelists were all powerhouse women with years on years of experience in business. They discussed:

•Finding the right partner
•Branding
•Delivering results
•Speaking the language of your team
•Finding mentors that don’t look like you
•Importance of getting feedback as a tool to build career

Panelists:

Rosalind Hudnell – President of Intel Foundation, Intel

Danielle Lee – Global VP Partner Solutions, Spotify

Adrienne R. Lofton – SVP Global Brand Management, Under Armour

Keesha Boyd – Executive Director of Multicultural Consumer Services, Comcast

Watch the full panel here.

****

Below are some great takeaways that were shared during the event. Wisdom, transparency and actionable to dos were shared today.

• Build your support system to allow you to have the life you want to have.
• Men feel intimidated when women get to certain levels. If the guy you are dating isn’t there for you, move on. Ladies, sometimes what is holding you back in your career is not your kids, it’s your husband.
• Never settle.
• Mentors/sponsorship is so important.
• Figure out what you are willing to do to balance responsibility within the household. Do what you can to get the help you need so you can be present for your life. (i.e. hire a housekeeper)
• Let go if perfectionism- it’s ok for the house to be messy and not to have a 4 course meal every night.
• Strongest support group are your girlfriends. They provide emotional support and they are people who can keep you in your truth and have no problem telling you when you’re doing wrong.
• People that don’t live positive lives will pull you down.
• We as African American women have to work extra hard to be on top.
• Learning to speak the language of your field. Being able to communicate on numerous topics is key.
• Getting well researched about the things you want to pivot to. Be intellectually curious about the space you wanted to be in.
• Do what you love (career wise) because you are going to do a lot of it and from a social perspective you will be working more than you will be living.
• Don’t just negotiate compensation- negotiate your whole life. If they want you to hop on planes and you have young kids- ask for child care compensation. Ask for what you need to be successful in your job
• Men negotiate- scope, access and power. Women need to do more of that. Maybe you need a different title or access the job OR just negotiate the job.
• Do you have the network that if you got asked to deliver the impossible, you could? Genuine relationships- do you have 5 ppl in your company/job and 5 ppl out that can help you when you ask?
• Ask for more money- if they say no, you say “ok what do I have to do in the next 6 months to show you I deserve that”
• People hold themselves back (loyalty) for companies that don’t own them
• In order to be on a Corporate boards (which is a huge responsibility), you will need:
  • -Plugged in to the circle so when that seat comes open, your name comes up
  • Operating skills
  • Marketing skills
• When Building a personal brand- – Have an informed point of view and understand your business.
• What is your brand?
  • how do people describe you when you’re not around? Do they get along? Is she trustworthy? Can we work with her? What is the brand you want to put out? Go out and talk to your 5 ppl and ask how they would describe you.

Enjoy some pics from the event. (Pics were taken with a phone, so excuse the quality 😉 )

The Moderator – Angelina Darrisaw

Girlfriends 😉 Aria, Jen and Alaina (Team Hennessy)

The Panelists

Ran into Soraya

Also ran into Ruby

Had to get in a quick selfie before the event !