This Sunday was spent at the Glamour Women of the Year Summit or WOTY as Editor-in-chief Samantha Barry describes it.
This year’s summit was spread over the weekend, beginning Saturday with an ‘experience’ led agenda including personalized jewellery at Catbird and an intense exercise class with Nike fitness instructors. While Sunday was a full conference day packed with inspiring panels of women rising and fighting adversity.

With a schedule full of incredible women there were more highlights then I can put in one post. From the survivors of Larry Nassar’s abuse to a moving poem by Halsey, each minute brought with it new lessons and empowering stories.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

‘From Anguish to Action: How to Lead During Crisis’

The first part of the day Glamour Editor-in-Chief Samantha Barry sat down with  The Washington Post’s Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah. Attiah was the editor of a Saudi journalist who was recently killed because of his work as a reporter. Attiah emphasized that she and her team have not stopped trying to get justice.

While each member of the audience could resonate with having gone through personal or professional crises, Karen’s elegance and perseverance in the face of absolute tragedy inspired and her words of passionate fury stunned the room to silence.

‘Turn a Big Idea Into Bigger Business’

A panel with female founders Audrey Gelman, Co-founder and CEO The Wing, Ty Haney Founder and CEO Outdoor Voices, Jen Rubio, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Away and moderated by Sutian Dong, Partner, Female Founders Fund.

The panel began with the statistic that only 2.2% of venture capital funding is going to female-led companies. These women spoke about overcoming this statistic and building a successful business from the ground up.

‘Don’t compare your insides to someone else’s outside’- Audrey Gelman

‘You’re going to be told ‘no’ a lot, it can feel lonely’.- Jen Rubio

‘Trust your gut’ – Ty Haney

All founders echoed the importance of community. The Wing’s 6000 members are ‘their marketers’ and these women support each other through personal and business ventures. Gelman also announced the companies next plans to open ‘The Little Wing’ focused on childcare services for members and staff, while her CSR models of ensuring she gives all staff (even those part-time) health insurance gave us a positive insight into her leadership.
Away founder Jen Rubio emphasized the hard work and endurance it takes to run a company

‘You have to really want to do it…’- Jen Rubio

Closing the dream Gap: Showing Girls (and Ourselves) What’s Next’

This was a panel of epic proportions with three women who have overcome adversity and showed their strength both on and off camera. Actress Mindy Kaling was joined by Today show co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. One of my biggest takeaways from their advice was in order to be confident, you must be prepared.

‘The work is the confidence, confidence isn’t some slogan, confidence is earned’.- Mindy Kaling

‘It’s not that I’m into myself. It’s that I don’t hate myself’- Mindy Kaling

Guthrie’s mother has always been very realistic in her upbringing
‘She never told me I was the smartest in the class because I wasn’t’- Savannah Guthrie

While Guthrie joked this may have given her a ‘ball of issues’, she also said that when her mother did tell her something she took it as Gospel. Guthrie also spoke openly about her hopes for her daughter.

I want my daughter to be confident and humble, bold and gentle, I don’t know if I will pull it off.’- Savannah Guthrie

They ended on this note: “Why not you? Whatever your dream is, you don’t have to shout it to the world—but in your own mind think big.”- Hoda Kotb

A truly amazing day!