Edited by Avleen Grewal
Last week, U Toronto’s Her Campus team put on the She Leads Conference. The theme of the conference was “Her Story, Our Story,” which explored the many unique stories that the guest speakers shared with us at the event. It was so inspiring to hear from so many incredible women about their journeys, and the steps they took to get to where they are. They all shared such great advice, but here are just a few of the things that really stuck with me.
As I was listening to each woman share her story, I found that each of their stories all evolved out of them taking a risk, or trying something different. Zaina Moussa, the founder of Zuri Curated Events and a fashion and lifestyle blogger, shared with us that when she was on a trip in California, she was bored one day and convinced her family to attend a fashion event. She said that she found the whole thing fascinating, and knew that she had the ability and the potential to create something similar in Toronto. Zaina said that that one decision influenced the trajectory of her career.
Similarly, spoken-word poet A.G. described how her friend encouraged her to share her poetry at an event, and after that experience, her passion reignited and she threw herself into the poetry scene.
Daouii Abouchere, a geopolitical analyst, entrepreneur, and advisor shared how simply opening herself up to a conversation with a stranger led her to discover similarities and expand her network, and ultimately landed her her job. Hearing these stories, I was struck by the strong commonality between them.
The speakers and our some of our wonderful HC members!
Much of the career advice we hear is about getting more experience and developing skills. But one skill that isn’t brought up in the larger conversation is the ability to be flexible and courageous. Opening ourselves up to strange and novel experiences can be really intimidating, and it often feels so much easier to stick with what we know. We hang around with the same people and do the same things, but we rarely push ourselves to try new things as we get older. However, pushing out of our comfort zones is what ultimately creates the most growth, and all of these women’s stories attest to this. Saying yes to opportunities has the power to shift the trajectory of our lives, and all of these women demonstrate that. Daouii encouraged us to try as many new things while we’re still in university because there are so many undiscovered opportunities that we might really fall in love with.
Because women are still struggling to get a seat at the table, there seems to be a powerful culture of competition amongst women. We think that there are only so many seats, and therefore competition ensues, leading women to believe that vying with other women is the only way to “win.” But the women at She Leads assured us that there is plenty of space. A.G. shared about how in the poetry scene, there aren’t as many female poets. However, she doesn’t feel like she’s competing against the other women; instead, being open and vulnerable, and sharing her stories creates more space for other women to chime in and share theirs. A success for one woman simply enhances our collective success. We need to foster a culture of encouragement and support for each other. The promotional video Zaina shared for her Run the World Fashion show seemed to send this message, as a diverse group of women showcased the clothes, and instead of competing for the spotlight, they shared it together.
The women from Zaina’s promo video
I was so inspired hearing these women share about their successes, but I was also amazed at their ability to be so open and vulnerable with us. Instead of painting a rosy picture, they candidly told us about their failures too. It’s so much easier to relate to each other when we can remember that everyone has felt the same way along their journeys. Many women struggle with mental health challenges, especially as university students, so I appreciated that Daouii recognized the importance of taking care of mental health, and reminded us not to compare ourselves to each other.
The She Leads Conference was such a positive space to hear the stories of inspiring women. It made me hopeful for my own future, and reminded me to be patient and appreciative of the journey. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but that’s okay. Maybe one day, I’ll inspire someone with a story of my own.