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This week, I had the opportunity to return to WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Professional International) (after two years away) and was invited to sit on a panel with four other talented women and discuss the challenges we face being women in photography.
While we were in session, an attendee read a post from another online forum with a critic suggesting that a panel like the one I sat on felt unnecessary, but, necessary it is! Those couple of hours in a room filled with women (and men) brought so much insight and camaraderie and I wanted to share a few key takeaways:
What It Means To Be A Woman In Business
👏🏾 My friend Charmi informed us that men will apply for opportunities & jobs that they are only 60% qualified for, while women will wait until they are 100% qualified to take the same risks.
Sis, it’s okay to jump in, not have it all figured out, & see what happens. You might find a win on the other side of that leap.
👏🏾 women CANNOT do it all & the more that we talk about that reality & stop pretending we do it all AND and have it all together, we will free ourselves & so many others in the process.
👏🏾 you have the right to pivot in your life. If something isn’t working or no longer makes sense you can give yourself permission to make the change. If you aren't happy, if it's unfulfilling, if it's hurting you or if it doesn't make sense, you can end it.
👏🏾 a space like this ABSOLUTELY needs to exist at a conference like this & when these spaces are created, it’s our responsibility to show up & support it. You vote w/ your feet & showing up is much louder than any message your voice can shout
How To Become A Successful Business Woman
👏🏾 honor the women who have come before you, created space and made a way for you, who you followed as a roadmap, who showed you it COULD be done & TELL THEM. Tell them today. Tell them as often as you can, over and over and never get tired of it.
👏🏾 Anything by Gary Vee and Brene Brown is life-changing and if you haven't had a chance to read "Becoming," by Michelle Obama, do it ASAP.
👏🏾 "guilt" is a real thing, but doesn't have to be. Rid yourself of it. We are all doing all we can to live the best possible lives that we can, and the decisions we make moment to moment are really with the best possible hope of the best possible outcome in mind. Make it and move on. No regrets.
👏🏾 Self-care isn't negotiable. Don't play around with taking care of yourself. We need you and YOU need you to do whatever it requires to keep your peace and joy, so make it a priority.
👏🏾 this is no longer the generation that has to choose between being a mom OR a business women, you can do both & have grace to figure out. Stop putting off your dreams because you have a family. Stop putting off your family because you have a dream - it can all work, it just takes a bit of adjusting.
As I sat on a stage encouraging women, I was encouraged too. There is so much wisdom and courage gained when women come together and share their experience. We are all just looking for a "me too," and a feeling that we aren't in this (thing called life) alone.
Thank you to WPPI for having me and thank you to the rest of the panel ( Michele Celetano, Maureen Neises of Graphi Studio, Charmi Patel Pena, Amber Baird) for your thoughtful ideas.
The thing that I am most proud of this week and (always) is that I can wear both hats simultaneously (although not perfectly) mama & business woman, and that my girls will grow up knowing what is possible.
Were you at WPPI last week? What did you learn from your time there? Let me know in the comments.
With strength, courage and wisdom,
Tash
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