When Jane Marie Chen, cofounder and CEO of Embrace Innovations, said she hopes to save the lives of 1 million babies by the end of this year, the woman next to me leaned over and whispered, “And what did you do today?”
Not a lot compared to the four impressive women on the panel at the Power Your Happy event in San Francisco on Sept. 30, a celebration of POPSUGAR founder and President Lisa Sugar’s new book, Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice, and Build Your Dream Life. But that’s OK — actually, it’s precisely the point: I was there to learn from smart, accomplished women who’ve already built their dream lives.
Lisa kicked off the night by saying “do more of what you love every day” to find your own passion and career success. “Get out there. Pick up clues along the way to find your happy,” Lisa said. She inspired the group by sharing her personal journey to founding POPSUGAR, some examples of what powers her happy, and reasons why her mantra is “Work hard, play nice.” Oh, and her other mantra: “What would Beyoncé do?”
With the purchase of a ticket, every guest received a copy of the book and a Must Have box featuring goodies hand-picked by Lisa herself. After the panel discussion, guests mingled at the Bespoke event venue in Westfield San Francisco Centre, Instagramming blue cotton candy and sipping on flower petal-topped cocktails by M.Y. China. Nab tickets for the upcoming Los Angeles event here!
So what did these powerful women have to say about finding their happy? Read on for highlights from the San Francisco event!
Meet the Panelists (from L-R)
Melody McCloskey, cofounder and CEO, StyleSeat
Lisa Sugar (host), founder and president, POPSUGAR
Jane Marie Chen, cofounder and CEO, Embrace Innovations
Leena Rao (moderator), senior writer, Fortune Magazine
Marne Levine, chief operating office, Instagram
“Having a purpose made me fearless.” — Jane
“It’s worth it if it’s rooted in the right reasons.” — Marne
“If someone else starts this company, and it’s not me, I will die.” — Melody on the catalyst it took to take the risk to start her company.
On Failure
“I probably fail at something every single day. It’s what you do with those mistakes.” — Marne
“We’re not defined by our successes and failures, but by our values and how we live up to those values.” — Jane
“Keep at it if it’s something you love and are passionate about.” — Melody
On Mentors
“It’s like dating. It’s easy and fun and before you know it you’re in a relationship. You don’t need a DTR.” — Marne
“One of my biggest lessons I learned is to not be afraid to ask for help.” — Jane
“The biggest barrier in starting a company is that emotional stuff blocking you. Find someone who you admire who loves you and inspires you, who has your back.” — Melody
Originally written by Tara Block here.
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