25th September 2020 saw the inaugural She Has No Limits Virtual Summit – a global online event conceived to bring together professional women for a day of motivating discussions, coaching sessions, keynote talks, an Awards ceremony, and a brilliant networking environment. It was all hosted on the virtual conference platform Hopin, which in itself was a new experience, not only for me but for the majority of the nearly 1000 fellow speakers and delegates.
I was fortunate to be invited to sit on the opening morning panel on "Bouncing Back From Challenging Career Times" alongside a clutch of inspiring co-panellists who have overcome significant adversity to succeed in their professional lives:
- Lisa-Marie Manso, the Founder of Ruby Rose publishing, who overcame a severely underprivileged early life background to become a successful entrepreneur;
- Michael Ray, one of Australia’s foremost public speakers and challenger to both societal and gender-specific bias that negatively impacts everything from corporate performance to personal life experiences;
- Melanie Denyer, champion of inclusion and accessibility with a rich backstory of challenging life events that she has overcome with pragmatism and resilience, but also with a clear purpose to make the world a more ethical and inclusive place.
The 45-minute panel was expertly chaired by Sali Midjek-Conway and was an incredibly fulfilling experience that left me feeling not only inspired but also humbled.
The day’s schedule also included a second panel “How The World Of Work Is Changing And How Do You Stay Relevant?” which discussed a range of topics across remote working, influencers, and how the corporate world will need to evolve to attract tomorrows best talent, a subject that is also close to my heart – I am passionate about business sustainability and ‘the future of work’ is an exciting and very relevant topic right now, not least due to the impact that the pandemic has had, is having and will have on the world of work.
There were several coaching workshops running throughout the day that you could hop in and out of, including some sage and guru-esque advice on "How To Say No", from the ever-brilliant Hayley Caspers.
My personal highlight of the day (although there were many) was the keynote from Sophie Walker, CEO of the Young Women's Trust, whose purpose is to obtain social and economic equality and justice for young women. Her talk had many in tears and was one of the most powerful and electrifying keynotes that I have ever had the privilege of witnessing first-hand.
In essence - I can’t wait for the 2021 event. bravo!
