The True Value of Beyond Pink

This past weekend, I attended my first Beyond Pink. Although I'm a member of the greater Vancouver YWiB team, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but nonetheless couldn’t help but feel excited. And I'm happy to say, I was not disappointed. I attained my arts degree (psych) in university and only recently have I started to feel like I’m making a way for myself in the business world. That being said, it definitely has not been easy!

It is easy to lose sight of your goals or feel like you’re not going anywhere when you’re embarking on your career post-university. You face adversity, sometimes for the first time, and a lot of the time money unfortunately comes before passion. We all have bills to pay.

Since graduating, it’s been a difficult year and a half, personally and professionally. Friends have come and gone, mistakes have been made, time wasted, unprofessionalism encountered, I've heard “no” more than I care to share and ever-looming doubts. It’s only recently that I've realized I will likely face these experiences throughout my entire life.

Beyond Pink made me realize a thing or two, aside from picking up useful skills in the educational and useful workshops.

Top of my list, I started to think less about "me" and more about "we". There are many people who are in, have been in, and will be in, the same situation as myself which means we're never alone in our struggles. I met and spoke with a countless number of wonderful ladies (and one guy) who were enthusiastic to share their stories as well as take the time to hear mine. It was truly empowering!

Secondly, reflecting on the past and considering the future difficulties we're sure to encounter, it’s not how you fall but how you get back up that is what defines you. The value in ACTUALLY taking the time to learn from your mistakes instead of loathing yourself for them, is where the true value lies.

Rounding out my key takeaways from Beyond Pink was that if I really want something, like really want it, there is nothing standing in my way except for myself.

There have been and will be times that I doubt my own capabilities, lack the confidence to pursue an opportunity, a dream, or will fully recognize that I have all the tools I need to see something through to completion. But honestly, what am I afraid of? The worst thing I can do is not to fail, the worst thing I can do is give up on trying to succeed. And that, my lady friends, is far worse than stumbling along the way. FOMO anyone?

The things I took away from Beyond Pink 2012 (and if you attended feel free to share your list below) may seem trivial or even to some “common sense”, but every now and again I need reminding. We all do.

So on that note I want to thank the ladies that made Beyond Pink 2012 happen for recharging me and giving me some additional tools for my toolkit that I can pull out along this windy path that is my career. ;)

Ps. If you'd like to connect beyond Beyond Pink, don’t be shy. I’m always available for a new friend and a good chat. =)

Carolina@ywib.ca @CarolinaHorna

Calling all YWiB'ers: Beyond Pink 2012 volunteer opportunities!

The inaugural Beyond Pink conference was launched in 2008 and has remained a staple of YWiB’s event repertoire ever since. We are so excited to be bringing the conference back in the fall of 2012 and we are looking for some phenomenal young women to create and execute the vision of this amazing project! This year, we are expecting the event to take place in late October/early November, over the span of a Friday & Saturday. We truly believe in bringing a world-class business conference to the next generation and effectively equipping women who have the ability and energy to make a positive impact to all those around them. As such, our main goal at Beyond Pink 2012 will be to elevate the overall value of the conference to to become the leading personal and professional development event for young women in Vancouver.

While maintaining the values that have launched Beyond Pink to its current success, this year we are also bringing a slew of amazing, new initiatives to the table. Our primary focus will be on practical, relevant skill set training for two main delegate groups - young professionals at the outset of their careers and more seasoned experts looking to further evolve their professional aptitude and potential.

As the only conference of its kind for young women in Vancouver, we are committed to maximizing the potential of Beyond Pink 2012! We are seeking a team of individuals that have the ambition, savvy creativity and real dedication to make this amazing conference happen. BP is also an excellent learning opportunity to gain experience and exposure to the local community and to create meaningful connections in Vancouver. If you are bursting at the seams to inspire and equip the young women of this city, we want to hear from you! Please click here for all BP available positions and for a full description of the event.  Make haste, because applications are due this Sunday, June 3!

meet our Beyond Pink 2012 co-chairs!!

we're so excited to share that our new co-chairs for Beyond Pink 2012 are.... Janelle Chung & Iva Gatcheva! 

this phenomenal duo comes from two different backgrounds- Iva completed her Bachelor of Arts at McGill, majoring in Political Science and English Literature. Since then, she's been the Project Coordinator for TED Conferences, webmaster for Y.E.S., and worked with the department director at the Engineering Student services.  Janelle is finishing her Bachelors of Science in Behavioural Neuroscience with a minor in Commerce. Last year she co-chaired the Beyond the Bsc. Conference (inspired by her time at BP2010), coordinated a 3-Course Connection Dinner conference, and interned at the Burnaby Mental Health and Addiction Clinic.

As part of the application process, we asked each applicant to submit a "creative" piece. We loved the ones these girls came up with! Janelle showed off her creativity & tech skills by creating a BP2012 Inspiration Board on Pinterest, and Iva wow-ed us with her hidden poetic skills by writing a poem about BP2012!

We also asked the girls to fill out the YWiB {my story} and we loved some of their answers and could tell right away, they would get along! Check out some of their answers below.

Q: what is your retreat?

A: snowshoeing at a North Shore Mountain (Janelle) | a mountain hike and crisp air any day (Iva)

Q: childhood ambition?

A: to learn how to fly (Iva) | to be a physicist (Janelle)

we're incredibly excited to welcome Janelle & Iva to the team and we know they will bring back the magic and make Beyond Pink 2012 full of surprises! if you're interested in getting involved, keep your eyes on our blog- opportunities to join their team and lend a hand with BP2012 will be posted in a few short weeks!