Before the first save-the-date email arrived, I was on board with Marie Claire magazine’s 3rd Annual Power Trip. As someone who spends a fair amount of time dedicated to organizing events that empower and enrich the lives of entrepreneurs (most of them women), I was keenly interested in whether the event would live up to my expectations. The initial allure was simple: It’s an honor to be invited to attend the Power Trip, which celebrates women leaders across various industries and the arts, and a thrill to be selected along with an accomplished roster of participants, including Stubhub president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy and Francoise Brougher, COO of Pinterest. Plus, the journey itself on a chartered United Airlines B737 Max flight to San Francisco with 100-plus dynamic women, along with luxury accommodations in a retreat-style setting, promised to be a celebratory escape from my typical work week.
Still, gathering so many strong-willed personalities—200 women in total—is one thing. Keeping them engaged is another. Thankfully for the attendees, Nancy Berger, vice president, publisher and chief revenue officer at Marie Claire, and Anne Fulenwider, editor-in-chief of the magazine, struck the right balance between sponsored activities and networking. A healthy helping of A-list actresses didn’t hurt either as we whipped through a 36-hour schedule filled with hikes, meals, and organized chats by the pool and the fire. The trip was sponsored by Dell, Intel, Tacori, Away, Athleta, Hotel Kabuki and Sorel and United Airlines, all of which lavished the PowerTrippers with goods and services. United kicked the festivities off with a female crew in custom pink uniforms.
In short, the Power Trip worked. Women executives and founders are on the rise, and Marie Claire captured the spirit of the day perfectly. When women run a company, message or marketing, innovation and impact aren’t far behind. We’ve come a long way from the days of “Mad Men.” My inclusion was a recognition of the power of indie beauty: An acknowledgement of the strides made by independent beauty entrepreneurs, and the whole team supporting our efforts at the Indie Beauty Media Group. I’d like to share some of the six takeaways from the trip that have me psyched to keep on charging ahead, and that I hope will make everyone in our community feel the same way.
Rise to the occasion even if it scares you.
Not only is Jennifer Garner an accomplished actress and a mom of three, she’s on a mission to bring healthier food options to kids through Once Upon A Farm. The emerging company recently raised $20 million and is in talks to distribute its offerings to Costco. Despite her fame and success, Garner admitted she sometimes feels “afraid of screwing up,” particularly because she faces the pressure women often do to take care of everything and anything. She emphasized that we have to hold ourselves accountable and rise to the occasion. Garner said, “Any time there’s a revolution, and you feel like you’re being held to a new standard, you want to make sure you’re meeting the standard.”
Trust your truth.
Sharon Stone’s no-hold-barred fireside talk covered topics ranging from aging in Hollywood to relationships and her charity work with Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and Planet Hope, which she founded with sister Kelly. Stone’s honesty left attendees on the verge of tears several times. In Stone’s eyes, women are “powerful beings” possessing the ability to change the world. She said, “But [women] are knowers, and we have to look at people and not second guess what we know. Because what we know to be true is true, and what we have been taught through our lives is that’s not so. Because we’re crazy. Because we’re hysterical. Because we’re women. Jesus Christ, go sit down. I’ve had enough of that bullshit, and so should every single one of us. What we know to be true is true. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve, financially or otherwise.
We headed to the Pinterest headquarters on day two. That’s where Meredith Grey herself, Ellen Pompeo, boldly plunged into the sometimes sensitive topic of money. During her interview with Kit Hoover of “Access Hollywood” for the Power Your Worth panel, Pompeo filled the audience in on the backstory of how she renegotiated her contract with ABC after 15 years of headlining Grey’s Anatomy. (She asked for $20 million a year, making her the highest paid woman on television.) Her tenacity pushed her to express and receive what she deserved. Pompeo’s stance also encouraged her female co-workers to come together and do the same. She said, “Power means being able to stand up and say what we feel.”
Failure isn’t a thing, really.
Day two also brought together Francoise Brougher, COO of Pinterest, Karen Plotkin, SVP of Dell, Jenkey Rubio, co-founder of Away, and Rose Schooler, corporate vice president of Intel, to outline keys to success. There is no such thing as failure for Schooler. She feels failures are really lessons. “We can leverage learnings—and build a whole new business around it,” said Schooler.
Passion drives innovation.
During the same discussion, Away co-founder Rubio pointed out that her business degree wasn’t the key to her success. To tap into her creativity, she had to care intensely about her brand’s product and business, and the community it serves. “I was friends with so many people in business school that were trying to map out what industries to disrupt,” said Rubio. “There’s no way you can build something successful if you don’t actually care.”
Risk-taking is a must.
Risk was a topic that surfaced repeatedly throughout the two days. Many speakers noted major chances are parts of almost every success story. When it comes to rolling the dice, Julia Collins, CEO of Zume Inc., always bets on herself. “I’ve developed this unshakable faith in myself,” said Collins. “In a sea of noes, you have to pick yourself back up.” Angelica Nwandu, founder of The Shade Room, seconded Collins. She said, “A lot of good ideas sometimes sound like bad ideas when they are first started. If the idea can grow, that’s one that you want to follow through.”
Beauty entrepreneurs are natural PowerTrippers.
I was thrilled to make the journey with notable beauty founders and innovators like Nancy Twine, founder of indie brand Briogeo. Twine started what is now one of of the bestselling hair-care brands at Sephora inspired by her mother’s passion for creating custom beauty concoctions and her grandmother’s ability to provide for her family with little resources. Karissa Bodnar, who I sat next to at the Tacori sponsored dinner, founded Thrive Causemetics, a booming direct-to-consumer, vegan and cruelty-free beauty company. (I was wearing her mascara when I met her. Talk about serendipity!) Why DTC? Because no retailer would pick her up when she started. I also seized the opportunity to bond with Linda Wells, chief creative officer at Revlon and founder of Flesh Cosmetics, the latest milestone in her illustrious career in beauty. A pioneer, Wells, founder of Allure magazine, just happens to be the keynote speaker at Indie Beauty Media Group’s upcoming BeautyX Media & Influencer Summit in LA. You won’t want to miss her intimate chat.
The overarching message of the trip is that we women—no matter what field, job title or level of fame—need to build each other up and support one another. When we are inclusive, we become stronger. When we are open, we become healthier. We also need to support our boys, and start raising them to be in touch with their emotions and allow them to feel. By raising emotionally-healthy boys, we will raise a generation of men respectful of women, and we will spend less time trying to fix bad habits that men from past generations passed on.
Women are a force. If we continue to learn from one another, we will continue to shift the patriarchal paradigm to a new way of thinking and doing business.
Jillian Wright is co-founder, along with Nader Naeymi-Rad, of Indie Beauty Media Group, owner of Beauty Independent, Indie Beauty Expo and BeautyX Summits. For photos of and reflections on the trip, follow Wright on instagram @greenapplebeauty.
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