November 1, 2021

Hello BOSLadies and happy November!

Next Tuesday we're having our monthly meeting and I couldn't be more excited for two reasons:

1. it will be the first meeting for so many new members (hooray!)

2. the author of our November book Blue Mind will be joining us for a Q&A!

You should have all received the Google calendar invite and if not, please let me know! Since I am hosting this week, there is no in person option, just Zoom :)

I also want to make sure that everyone knows - there is absolutely no pressure to read the book before the meeting! For our new members, I didn't have time to squeeze it into the WILD presentation but the majority of us generally don't have time to get through the whole thing. Some of us don't even start it! I promise that there is no book club shaming or shade for the non-readers. We all have full lives and understand that reading might not be a priority to squeeze in. Regardless of whether you read or not, we just want to see your lovely face in the meeting and hear what you have to say. All are welcome!

The Weekly Three

1. Something from some powerhouse women: WOW, were the presentations last Thursday at Lightfair incredible! I had the pleasure of presenting for Voices of WILD: Rising for Social Change alongside some of the most enthralling and inspiring women in our industry. If you weren't able to watch on Instagram Live or attend in person, WILD has posted the recording of the seven Pecha Kuchas here. Below is the list of presenters in the order in which we presented, our speech titles and an idea from or description of our talks:

Tanya Hernandez Let’s Talk Leadership - Tanya shares her personal experiences as a leader and what traits an effective leader cultivates

Amber Watnik Books as a Catalyst for Community - what BOSLady is, why we're important and how books helped us become the community that we are

Mariel Acevedo Codeswitching - the challenges of being a minority in the US and her personal journey to reclaiming her individual vibrancy in spite of the muting of the majority's norms

Luz Garcia Traditional and Reverse Mentoring of Women by Women - getting comfortable with non-traditional mentoring of older women by younger women, why this reversal can help both parties and how to do it right

Alana Shepherd LGBTQ+ By the Numbers - it's not easy to make statistics compelling but Alana absolutely crushed it with numbers about the prevalence of LGBTQ+ community members and how they are treated by different generations in different places

Rachael Stoner Life in Middle Management - middle management isn't a bad place to be! Rachael shares the benefits of being in the middle, being both a leader and being led

Brittany Lynch The Secret Shame of Working Moms - the system is rigged so it's no wonder it's so hard! Brittany breaks down the myths of motherhood, explains where in history they came from and why they're absolutely FALSE

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. As I mentioned in my speech about BOSLady, once you share your personal experiences, you often find that others have gone through the same thing. What once made you feel alone now connects you and those personal problems shift to cultural issues. And you have a team to tackle them with!

2. Something related to Luz's speech about reverse mentoring: The 37-Year-Olds Are Afraid of the 23-Year-Olds Who Work for Them (thank you for sending this Alexandra!). A spot on description of how Gen Z is challenging Millennials at work. "The youngest members of the work force have demanded what they see as a long overdue shift away from corporate neutrality toward a more open expression of values" and aren't afraid to ask for what they want and feel that they deserve. Interestingly, the author reminds us that while Millennials felt lucky for just Getting a job in the 2008 financial crisis, Gen Z is navigating professional life during a very different kind of crisis - the pandemic. Perhaps the solution to the fear that the article's title alludes to would best be addressed by Luz's recommendation of reverse mentoring.

3. Something for the new female IES president: Mark your calendar for November 4th at noon to meet the IES's new president Susanne Seitinger, PhD!

Thank you all for reading, Amber