[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
there once was a young woman who was a
high achiever you know the real deal the
kick-ass go-getter tight curious mind
compassionate heart and some killer
shoes in 2008 at the very peak of the
financial recession this young woman
received a prestigious job on Wall
Street you know what she did she played
with the big boys she kicked some butt
and as time passed top management knew
they had a woman worth investing in and
just as her career began to swing upward
she got pregnant to her dismay she was
faced with a severe condition that
caused nausea and vomiting the entire
length of her pregnancy work became
unbearable for this high achiever she
was passing out inside offices she was
puking in trash cans next to her
computer after many months of this she
realized she needed help so she went to
a senior mentor of hers for some
much-needed advice and for our story’s
sake let’s call this senior mentor
Jessica Jessica was a type of woman
every woman on Wall Street wanted to be
this girl had broken the glass ceiling
in a super male-dominated industry and
bonus she did all this while also being
a mom so the young woman told Jessica
what was happening and how she didn’t
think she could continue at her current
pace
Jessica looked at her right in the eye
and said darling suck it up I too had a
horrible pregnancy but I sucked it up
because I cared about my career yep
that’s how that conversation went down
and the young woman did just that she
pushed forward even at risk to her own
health and the health of her baby and
shortly before going out on maternity
leave the young woman went to one of
Jessica’s junior employees and she was
just betting or she didn’t understand
how Jessica was able to push through her
pregnancy so seamlessly and the junior
employee looked at the young woman and
said what are you talking about Jessica
took off for months during her pregnancy
[Laughter]
the young woman was stunned but the
ideal she felt she was failing to live
up to never even existed
Jessica lied she created an illusion and
for what and as you may have guessed by
now the young woman in the story is me
this is my story
my disappointment with this mentor and
the vulnerability that she refused to
show me is one of the greatest
inspirations for why I stand before you
here today said of having my face buried
and six computer screens this is why I
left Wall Street because I want to walk
with women in their struggles I dream of
building a community where moms look out
for other moms because we each have
something special something unique that
only we can offer our own selves and our
own experiences the media is full of
headlines trumpeting company’s
commitments to diversity and while we
can debate everything from salary
transparency to quotas to place upper
women women and upper management
we are missing one of the most
fundamental issues making work work for
moms according to a Pew Research report
94 percent of women in the United States
either have children or desire to at
some point in their future
you can’t talk about closing the gender
wage gap or putting women in upper
management without talking about moms so
what are we gonna do and this is a topic
I have spent countless hours talking to
hundreds of women about because I tell
you now my story it’s not unique women
encounter structural and really in
relational obstacles at work all the
time in fact it’s only one reason why
nearly half of all women who just had
their first child don’t go back to their
pre-baby employer so really what are we
going to do in short companies need to
create a culture that is inclusive of
family life that is easier said than
done but I have three tips number one
become aware of your biases and a study
conducted by Harvard Business Review
researchers found that mothers are
viewed as less likable less competent
and less deserving of a promotion by
their colleagues there’s a chance some
of you may be carrying around some of
these biases the first step is to become
aware and then we can start to transform
them number two practice vulnerability
if you happen to be a parent yourself be
willing to let your walls down to be
there for another woman in need we can
all empathize with the sleepless nights
the crazy doctor’s appointments and the
struggle to find balance
number three speak up if you happen to
see a woman being publicly humiliated or
harassed because of her pregnancy don’t
stand by quietly and if you overhear a
manager doubt a new moms ability to take
on more work fight for her for those of
us with a very clear vision on how to
make work work for moms super
frustrating to see a Jessica or a Thomas
for that matter in positions of power
but if we’re here to create that brave
new world we have to start challenging
the old ways of thinking of pregnancy
and of motherhood making work work for
moms it’s not easy but it sure is worth
it thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
[Applause]
[Music]
there once was a young woman who was a
high achiever you know the real deal the
kick-ass go-getter tight curious mind
compassionate heart and some killer
shoes in 2008 at the very peak of the
financial recession this young woman
received a prestigious job on Wall
Street you know what she did she played
with the big boys she kicked some butt
and as time passed top management knew
they had a woman worth investing in and
just as her career began to swing upward
she got pregnant to her dismay she was
faced with a severe condition that
caused nausea and vomiting the entire
length of her pregnancy work became
unbearable for this high achiever she
was passing out inside offices she was
puking in trash cans next to her
computer after many months of this she
realized she needed help so she went to
a senior mentor of hers for some
much-needed advice and for our story’s
sake let’s call this senior mentor
Jessica Jessica was a type of woman
every woman on Wall Street wanted to be
this girl had broken the glass ceiling
in a super male-dominated industry and
bonus she did all this while also being
a mom so the young woman told Jessica
what was happening and how she didn’t
think she could continue at her current
pace
Jessica looked at her right in the eye
and said darling suck it up I too had a
horrible pregnancy but I sucked it up
because I cared about my career yep
that’s how that conversation went down
and the young woman did just that she
pushed forward even at risk to her own
health and the health of her baby and
shortly before going out on maternity
leave the young woman went to one of
Jessica’s junior employees and she was
just betting or she didn’t understand
how Jessica was able to push through her
pregnancy so seamlessly and the junior
employee looked at the young woman and
said what are you talking about Jessica
took off for months during her pregnancy
[Laughter]
the young woman was stunned but the
ideal she felt she was failing to live
up to never even existed
Jessica lied she created an illusion and
for what and as you may have guessed by
now the young woman in the story is me
this is my story
my disappointment with this mentor and
the vulnerability that she refused to
show me is one of the greatest
inspirations for why I stand before you
here today said of having my face buried
and six computer screens this is why I
left Wall Street because I want to walk
with women in their struggles I dream of
building a community where moms look out
for other moms because we each have
something special something unique that
only we can offer our own selves and our
own experiences the media is full of
headlines trumpeting company’s
commitments to diversity and while we
can debate everything from salary
transparency to quotas to place upper
women women and upper management
we are missing one of the most
fundamental issues making work work for
moms according to a Pew Research report
94 percent of women in the United States
either have children or desire to at
some point in their future
you can’t talk about closing the gender
wage gap or putting women in upper
management without talking about moms so
what are we gonna do and this is a topic
I have spent countless hours talking to
hundreds of women about because I tell
you now my story it’s not unique women
encounter structural and really in
relational obstacles at work all the
time in fact it’s only one reason why
nearly half of all women who just had
their first child don’t go back to their
pre-baby employer so really what are we
going to do in short companies need to
create a culture that is inclusive of
family life that is easier said than
done but I have three tips number one
become aware of your biases and a study
conducted by Harvard Business Review
researchers found that mothers are
viewed as less likable less competent
and less deserving of a promotion by
their colleagues there’s a chance some
of you may be carrying around some of
these biases the first step is to become
aware and then we can start to transform
them number two practice vulnerability
if you happen to be a parent yourself be
willing to let your walls down to be
there for another woman in need we can
all empathize with the sleepless nights
the crazy doctor’s appointments and the
struggle to find balance
number three speak up if you happen to
see a woman being publicly humiliated or
harassed because of her pregnancy don’t
stand by quietly and if you overhear a
manager doubt a new moms ability to take
on more work fight for her for those of
us with a very clear vision on how to
make work work for moms super
frustrating to see a Jessica or a Thomas
for that matter in positions of power
but if we’re here to create that brave
new world we have to start challenging
the old ways of thinking of pregnancy
and of motherhood making work work for
moms it’s not easy but it sure is worth
it thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
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