The event, hosted by Sherlin Barends, explored the topic of taking control of careers and being strong leaders.
Successful women leaders shared insights from their own lives to explain what it takes to be the woman in charge. Later, we were empowered with ways in which to control our emotional and physical states as well as our legacies beyond the grave.
“Even though there has been significant progress in advancing representation in the spaces that women occupy and the roles that they play in society, there is still work to be done in inspiring women to own their success.
Women are now looking to make their success unstoppable by networking with individuals and groups that have a deep understanding of their societal barriers while empowering them to make previously unimaginable advances in their lives,” says Charlotte Nsubuka – Mukasa, Head of Brand Marketing at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings.
Keynote speaker Luvvie Ajayi -Jones spoke about building your brand; ensuring that when you are in a room, you are proud of whatever happens in that room because everything you do reflects your brand.
“When you are part of a project, you need to ensure that project is of the quality that you want people to associate with you. If you do this, people will begin to trust that if you are involved with a project, it will have the same quality that they experienced from every other you’ve been involved in previously.”
She said when you aren’t in the room, it will then be very easy for them to vouch for you because all they have experienced from you is quality.
She also spoke about never accepting the first number that a potential employer offers you. “Women often accept the first offer because they are afraid that asking for more will get the offer retracted. The truth is, the first offer is never the best; they have more money to give but they are just waiting for you to ask for it.”
Kate Woods, Senior Brand Director of Adidas South Africa, triple Olympian, and mother of three spoke about the essential qualities that a successful leader must have: Passion, confidence, and courage.
“Your job can’t be just a job,” she said. “It needs to mean a lot – you spend more than 50% of your time at work. If half of your life is spent doing something, you need to be in love with it.”
This energy, she said, spreads to the people you work with, inspiring and motivating them.
Confidence is a sense of self-assurance that you can use to overcome the challenges ahead of you. “Reflect on your own life,” Woods advises.
“You have been through difficult times. You got through them and pushed past your limitations. Remember those moments when you are faced with a difficult situation. They will fill you with an understanding that you will overcome this too.
Courage is necessary for leaders, it is important to not let fear stop you from doing the things you need to do, and to do them with energy and authenticity.”
The next guest, Steven Hymen, guided a yoga stretch routine that can be done from a seated position, wherever you are, meaning it can be done in the office, at your desk at home, or when on the road on your next journey.
Many yogis say that yoga teaches us to marry the archaically traditional view of masculine energies such as ambition, drive, and focus with traditionally feminine energies like compassion, empathy, and caring. Hymen embodied that energy during the session.
Dani Van Vuuren, Fiduciary Business Development Consultant at Momentum, gave education on creating our last will and testament. Many women – and people in general – think of a will as something to worry about when they are old or that it is only relevant to extremely wealthy people.
Writing a will is about ensuring that you are in control of your legacy and that everything you have worked towards your whole life, gets dealt with in a way that is true to your intentions. She went through the essential requirements of a legally executable will.
Rounding off the day’s schedule, Charlotte Nsubuga-Mukasa, Ndoni Mcunu, and Thami Dish had an open discussion about whether people romanticised what it means to be a strong woman.
They delved deep into what it means to be strong and that being honest about your weaknesses is an important part of it.
Another successful day in the Momentums #SheOwnsHerSuccess series ended with thousands of women across the country being inspired to be better leaders in their workspace and to their families. A glowing testament to their dedication to uplifting the women of South Africa and the world.
Image (Host of #SOHS events, Sherlin Barends, Charlotte Nsubuga – Mukasa, Head of Momentum Brand, Thami Dish, Creator of the Feather Awards, Ndoni Mcunu, Founder of Women in Science and CMO of Momentum and Metropolitan, Ntokozo Madonsela).
