A Morning with NASDAQ and an Afternoon at Morgan Stanley: Today’s Girls are Meeting Money Mentors When it Matters
Today marks the 100th edition of The Epic Mentor Newsletter, so it delights me to dive into the numbers! One hundred weeks of Monday mentor moments, interviews with icons and continuing the conversation between today’s leaders and tomorrow’s workforce that began with our book, The Epic Mentor Guide. One hundred weeks of bringing global girls into the room (or zoom) as they come face to face with women in the workplace.
Today was no exception and, indeed, was a busy one! Être girls started the day with a virtual fireside chat with Nasdaq Executive Producer & Host of “Live at MarketSite” Kristina Ayanian where we talked about career paths, fintech, how mentors become sponsors and the importance of reverse mentoring. Then another group spent the afternoon taking over Morgan Stanley conference rooms to hear from an epic panel of women on a wealth of varied topics.
So much valuable, career-shaping information was shared throughout the day that it’s hard to pick the screensaver mantras. But here are my top ten takeaways from a day filled with career insight and mentor moments:
Kristina Ayanian “Build every day and learn every day…make quarterly goals and celebrate immediately when you meet them.”
Sandra L. Richards "I've achieved so much, but I have a lot more to achieve. I'm still in it - to pass on what I know. It doesn't mean anything unless I hand it off to the next generation."
Hina Shamsi "In order to close the gap, girls, don't be afraid. Don't shy away from what's hard...take a seat at the table and speak up. Show up and take those computer science classes and the math classes. Representation is what brings change."
Christina Gili "Bang your fist on the table to be heard - fight to be heard!"
Michelle Morris "Obstacles and adversities are not an excuse for not realizing your dreams. Aim high and work hard."
Emily Sax Bender, CFA "Focus on what you are passionate about...lean into what you are truly passionate about, because you can't fake that."
LaToya Wilson "You are never too old to have a mentor, and you are never too young."
Ara Talkov, CFP® "I played sports in college and still have an athlete's mindset. What I do now is just a different type of goal-setting...competitive sports were key for me, and for so many leaders."
Kim Henderson "You don't know what you don't know...so allow for things to change. That's super normal and opens doors for so many new possibilities."
Rachel Wilson "In the first ten minutes of any class, or any meeting, speak. Make sure your voice is heard. If you are in the room, you have to speak up."
That last comment rang true. Because, at the end of the day panels like these are convened to bring girls into the room to be heard, as well as to pave pathways and build pipelines to mentors. And as Hina Shamsi reminded us, looking out into a rapt audience of women and girls:
“It only takes one. It only takes one person to look up to. And then you think, if she can do this then I know I can too.”
This matters particularly in the world of finance. Financial confidence in girls isn’t impolite - it’s essential. I remember writing that in The Huffington Post back in 2016 when Être first launched, and it remains true today. And watching hands wave wildly today as girls asked smart money questions, I could see their confidence rise. Our recent survey told us that 93% of girls not only feel that a finance mentor would make them smarter about using their money but would give them more confidence about any future goals.
We saw that in action today.
To every one of the women who took time out of their day to engage eye to eye with Être girls, you have our gratitude. Days like this reinforce what we do – bring girls as early as middle school into the room to meet female leaders – and why we do it – because mentors matter…early.
Money mentors, in particular.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three more things from an epic day you won't want to miss: Info about Nasdaq's internship programs; opportunities for college students and graduates to learn more about careers at Morgan Stanley; and Gloria Steinem's 90th birthday was today - see Être girls in conversation with this icon here!
