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

Beyond Pink's Speakers: Sneak a peek!

  Faye Wightman, President and CEO, Vancouver Foundation

Faye is one of Canada’s philanthropic leaders as the President and CEO of the Vancouver Foundation. She brings to the Foundation a strong conviction that philanthropy can and should play a powerful role in shaping society. Since her arrival in 2005, she has led Canada’s largest community foundation through a number of important changes designed to increase its impact in BC communities.

Prior to joining Vancouver Foundation, Faye was President of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation for 14 years and then spent two years as Vice President of External Relations at the University of Victoria. She has served as an Executive Director for Sunny Hill Foundation for Children, as well as Campaign Director for the United Way of the Lower Mainland.

She is on several boards, most notably: Imagine Canada, Emily Carr University and BC Housing. Her influence has been recognized by Vancouver Magazine, where she has made their Power 50 list twice. As well, in 2004 she was one of five women honoured with the “Influential Women in Business Award,” an annual award presented by Business in Vancouver magazine.

Katie Ainsworth, Creative Director, Ainsworth Communications

Katie has created many award-winning and memorable campaigns across every medium imaginable in her twenty years in advertising. Starting her career in Toronto, she also worked in San Francisco during the dot-com boom then fled to Vancouver during the dot-com bust.

Her resume includes stints at Cossette, Y&R, BBDO, TBWA and Rethink––where she was both a Creative Director and a Partner. In 2010, Katie became a freelance writer and now enjoys the luxury of only working with companies and people she truly believes in. (Yes, she used a preposition at the end of a sentence and is totally okay with that decision.)

Katie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in European History and Germanic Studies from the University of Victoria. It has not been terribly useful, to be perfectly honest. She also mentors young writers through the not-for-profit group AdGirls.

Sandy Thompson, Global Planning Director, Y&R

Sandy Thompson is the Global Planning Director at Y&R and has been working in the advertising world for over 20 years, she is regarded as one of the industry’s most innovative and productive strategists, always working with her clients to find the truth behind what people do, not what they say.

How does she do it? She accepts every opportunity to give her clients a new and fresh perspective. She takes the time to dig in to how people feel about brands, listens to what they are saying and digs into consumer’s lives by taking the time to feel what is important to them.

Sandy believes that opportunities surround us – you just have to put yourself out there to not only find them, but to do something with them.

Check out the rest of the speakers AND mentors on Beyond Pink's website

Beyond Pink 2012: It's back!

“As a women, it’s high time to {re}think our approach, {re}define our roles, and {re}start our careers” – Beyond Pink Team 2012 Beyond Pink is BACK and promises to be BIGGER and BETTER than ever! The last Beyond Pink conference was in 2010 and perhaps the saying is true, distance (in this case, time) does make the heart grow fonder. It must be true because this year’s Beyond Pink team couldn’t be more enthusiastic, inspired and ready for action as they put together the plans for this year’s conference.

For those who need a reminder and those who missed out on previous conferences (such as myself), Beyond Pink is a 2-day business leadership conference for young women in Vancouver. It’s aimed at providing them with professional and personal development. Why do we host Beyond Pink? Because we believe women have the potential to change the future of business and even though there aren’t enough opportunities to make this happen, Beyond Pink exists to fill the gap between potential and achievement!

Beyond Pink wants to showcase the possibility and inspire career fearlessness by bringing together different sectors of business. Set to happen in early November in downtown Vancouver, I for one am VERY excited!

Have we peaked your interest?

Stay tuned for more teasers and tidbits of information over the following months on an event that is not to be missed!  :)

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!