May 5, 2014

Girls Talk London: International Women’s Day March 2014

When I first heard about an event Girls Talk London were holding, a bubble of excitement crept up inside me. To say it’s an inspirational group of women is one thing, but the once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity (yes, this is getting mushy!) literally changed the way I see my future career.

Back on 19^th March 2014, Girls Talk London brought together four inspiring and successful women from the fashion, business and finance industries. Young women between 16-25 years old were invited to sit in on the panel discussing their career stories and given the opportunity to ask them questions.

Taking place at the Wayra venue, it’s safe to say that I got totally lost. After approaching another lost-looking girl (Hi Symone!), we followed a group of girls who looked like they were going to the same event. Before the talk started, we all had a natter over biscuits and drinks, where we had to choose our biggest female role models. The first, and clearly the most obvious, person who came my mind was the Queen. But I settled on picking the two most influential people who I know the best in the world, my sister and mum. Cliché, but it’s the truth!

After choosing our seats (comfy beanbags and retro-style boxes I’ll have you know!), we finally got introduced to the panel. In an event that was about to change my career, I had no idea what was coming to me. Sitting in front of us were four outstanding and inspiring women, who were so humble and willing to share their experiences and tips, it felt just like a good gossip with your closest girlfriends. Being in the company of the amazing panel and audience is more than just an enlightening event, the friendships and support network you create makes it a total worthwhile experience.

What became one of the biggest messages from the event was to find what’s right for you and what you like doing. We all discussed mentors, the importance of work experience and persistence in succeeding in your chosen career. Since then I’ve taken risks with my career, I’ve pitched ideas to my editors and put more time and effort into ensuring that the results were exactly how I wanted them. I’ve been more proactive in gaining experience and using my time wisely, so that after my course has finished I’ve got all the tools I need to land my dream job. So to say it was an invaluable experience to me, was an understatement.

What Girls Talk London and I are trying to get across here is take every opportunity you get, attend every event that interests you and don’t be afraid to take the lead. Girls Talk London are such a friendly group, who provide an amazing resource for beneficial events like this one, which are so easy to apply for, a monkey could do it. Inspiration comes from many places and as women we have got to show them what we have got.

Rhiannon Pulling, 18, Student

Follow her on twitter: @RhiannonBlog