Girlboss Rally

There’s no place like New York City to make you feel inadequate. No, really… You think you’re the most “together” person in the world until you interview a 17 year old internship applicant that already owns two companies, does freelance styling for celebrities, and has 100K followers on Instagram. You immediately feel not-so-put-together, mediocre even, and wonder “why the hell are you applying for this?” Oh, by the way, you definitely hired that kid. Why? Because aside from the impulse to live vicariously through them, you figure that if you surround yourself with people like that kid, you’ll become more motivated, more inspired. Well, it does kind of work. Remember when you were in middle school, and your parents didn’t like your group of friends? They would tell you that the people you hang out with is a direct reflection of who you are and what you stand for. Well damn. I guess they were right. I am (not) Instagram famous, and I do (not) own a company. Not yet, at least.

While I definitely don’t see that super accomplished, ahead-in-life, 17 year old applicant staring back at me in the mirror, I am constantly seeking inspiration to get there (well, not the part about being 17). That means surrounding myself with amazing, forward thinking people. And what better place to find them than the Girlboss Rally?

That’s right. I said Girlboss Rally. You know, the one hosted by Nasty Gal creator, Girlboss author, Sophia Amoruso? The one where hundreds of women come together from all over (14 countries to be exact) to network and brainstorm about how to better as individuals and together as the women of the world? Yeah, I sure did go to that. Let me just tell you, it was AMAZING, and guess what?! I’m going to tell YOU all about it.

The entrance to the Girlboss Rally

A couple months ago, I met Summer McFadden of Days of Summer (follow her on Insta, & check out her blog) for the first time. We grew up in the same town and even had some mutual friends, but we never got around to actually meeting each other until we somewhat randomly connected during one of her visits to the Big Apple. While we were together, she mentioned that she was planning on attending the Girlboss Rally. I remembered seeing something about it on Instagram, but hadn’t really looked into it. After she mentioned it, I made the decision that I was definitely going which meant begging David (my dad) to fork over the cash for a ticket. I promise you, that’s like the least fun thing to do, but it all worked out because he agreed that it would be a great opportunity for me to meet new people and further my commitment to my baby (Zoey-Leigh.com, duh).

So, Summer and I suited up in our warmest coats and made our way downtown (literally, it was at Industria, downtown). As soon as we checked in, we shed our coats, grabbed some bevs (sorry, I’m the worst at abbreviating things), and claimed our seats. Yeah, we were early, like an hour and a half early, but only because we decided to skip the complimentary breakfast. Btw, the staff was super confused as to why we were sitting so early, and not noshing on granola bars and smoothies. But I mean, can you blame us? We wanted the best seats possible (behind the VIP seats). So, we parked our asses and chit chatted until it was time, which really meant 20 minutes late.

The whole shebang was launched with a brief introduction by Sophia Amoruso herself. Following her intro, author and inspirational speaker, Gabby Bernstein took the stage. She was tiny, but she was pretty badass. She illustrated to us, what she believes to be the 5 keys of success. Here they are:

1. “Success is an inside job” Figure out what feels good to you, and learn to say no. Only say yes to things that make you feel good, except paying rent. You always have to pay rent.

2. Keep your intentions in mind. By maintaining clear intentions, you put out a magnetic force field and build momentum toward your goals.

3. Speed up by slowing down. Referring back to #1, honor the things that make you feel good, and put self care first. By slowing down, you prevent burn out, and manage to move forward faster.

4. You don’t have to be there now. Small actions = success. Do little things (that make you happy) everyday. They will build up quickly over time. Fun is the catalyst. It’s okay if you’re not where you want to be yet, you’re here, and that’s pretty great too.

5. Have a “fuck it, let’s do it” attitude. Do NOT say no to your creative force

They made a pretty smart decision scheduling Gabby first. If you weren’t inspired before she took the stage, you definitely were when she stepped off it. *DJ Khaled Voice* WE'VE GOT THE KEYS. 

The day was jam packed with panels and other talks just like Gabby’s. A few that I was especially looking forward to were the ones with Ashley Graham, Elaine Welteroth, Leandra Medine, and Joanna Coles. If you don’t know who those ladies are, you better go do your research.

When Ashley Graham came out, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The room roared with excitement. When Ashley took the stage, everyone was paying attention. She talked about her upbringing, her new book, and what it means to be confident in the skin you’re in. All of that was super interesting, but I was mainly just wondering what highlighter she had on because oh my god was it incredible. Just look at the picture below for proof!

And, this pic barely even shows it.

Next (but actually there were a few segments in between), Joanna Coles, Tess Holliday, and Dr. Lauren Hazzouri took the stage for a panel about confidence. What a dynamic group of ladies! Dr. Lauren Hazzouri is a psychologist with a lot of charisma. Tess Holliday is plus size model, and the creator of the #EffYourBeautyStandards body positivity movement. Joanna Coles is the Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines, executive producer of Freeform original, The Bold Type, and ex Editor in Chief of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. I mean come on! These women are amazing. Here are some of the my takeaways from the panel:

1. “Don’t be an asshole.” Joanna Coles made it very clear that you don’t have to be an asshole to be successful, and actually, being an asshole can often hinder your chances. What really makes a difference in the creation of success is just simply putting in the work. When you put in the work, you build your confidence, and you increase your chances of reaching success.

2. “I’d rather be afraid than bored.” Dr. Lauren talked about the fact that confidence is scary, and not everyone has it, but when we work together, we help each other gain it. On days that you aren’t feeling confident about yourself, try to project it for everyone else. When others pick up on it, their confidence is built, and we can all grow together.

From left to right: Joanna Coles, Tess Holliday, Dr. Lauren Hazzouri, and the moderator, who's name I can't remember (sorry). 

LUNCH TIME!!! Summer and I were more than excited for our lunch break. Our butts were going numb from sitting so long, and our stomachs were growling (I guess we shouldn’t have skipped breakfast). We marked our seats, and headed to the building across the street to grub. The whole set up of the day was so beautiful and high quality, so why would lunch be any different? You guys, they went all out. Look at my lunch! It was SO good. It’s actually a miracle that I snapped a pic before digging in (haha, that’s funny because the restaurant that catered is called Dig Inn). After we ate our delicious lunches, we walked around to soak in all of the design. Once our bellies were full, and our legs were stretched, we headed back to our seats.

There were only 3 hours left in the day, and still so many panels to be held. We learned about diversity and our finances, but we were really holding out for the last panel, the one with Elaine Welteroth (Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue), Leandra Medine (Creator of ManRepeller), and Whitney Wolfe (Founder of Bumble). I had been waiting ALL DAY for this. Without time at the end for questions, I hopped up and followed the ladies off of the stage toward the back of the studio. I HAD to meet Leandra and Elaine. Well, I met Leandra, but Elaine practically ran (in her red, thigh high, Fendi boots) out of there. I was actually pretty bummed, but what can ya do?

Aside from not getting to meet Elaine, the whole day was pretty damn amazing. Infused with inspo, Summer and I decided that we’re going to start a business together (our plan is to launch in 3 years), I may have (keep your fingers crossed) stumbled upon an amazing opportunity, and my god, did we collect some fantastic content. It’s pretty amazing what can happen when a bunch of goal seeking women come together.

This is a horrible pic, but here's proof that I didn't go alone!

Bee tee dubs, I’m so glad I didn’t just wear my usual uniform of all black. Basically everyone there was in solid black. I, on the other hand, went with mustard yellow, and boy did I stand out! I got SO many compliments on my jacket. It’s from & Other Stories. And, for similar items, shop the pics below.

xoxo, 

Zoey Leigh