23 things from Women's CoLab that stayed with us in 2023.

Can you believe 2023 is almost over?! We can’t believe it either.?

For us, it was a year filled with so many new and inspiring voices, ideas, resources, and more to help you?stay positive and focused on achieving your goals. And, because we know how busy you are, we decided to put all our most valuable 2023 career takeaways into one master list so you can carry it neatly with you into 2024.

There were A LOT of great takeaways and choosing was tough! After much debate, we decided that since this is a celebration of 2023 (and a list of 2,023 things seemed a bit excessive, even for us), we would narrow it down to just 23 things. Of course, that means we may have missed one or two of YOUR favorite things. If that’s the case, we’re very sorry and please let us know in the comments. But until then, here it is.?

We hope you’re as inspired by this list as we are.?

1. “Dissonance brings you down. Resonance lights you up.” Suzy Batiz gave us a sneak peek of her Alive OS course during her CoLab Conversation and these powerful words have had us actively working to find the things that give us goosebumps and weed out the things that don't.
2. “You need feedback. Even if it’s hard to hear. Even if you want to return it. ” We love this inspiring advice from Christina Schelling because no matter what stage we’re at in our career, it’s always necessary to be challenged to grow and improve. And sometimes the difficult feedback leads to the most growth.?
3. ? Sarah E. Danzl ’s “user manual” is designed to help neurodivergent employees reach their full (superpower!) potential at work. Check out Sarah’s entire conversation here. She shared her own amazing personal journey with ADHD and how that helped her become a successful female executive and leader.
4. “We experience most of our joy along the journey.” Leah Smart shared this powerful reminder about happiness with us along with so much more on the fascinating science of achieving true happiness .?This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking for the ultimate happiness… and who isn’t? Also, check out her podcast, Everyday Better with Leah Smart — you'll learn so much!
5. “You need to feel it, picture it, name it and you can tame it.” Denise D'Agostino gave us this useful tool to stop our inner critic during her CoLab Conversation .?
6. Krista Bourne ’s 5 Career Tips : 1.) Set your own priorities. 2.) Commit to being a student. 3.) Be ok with being different. 4.) Focus on building relationships. 5) Reflect on the journey. ??
7. Be the hardest-working person in the room . Sometimes we need to be reminded of the basics and this gem from Charlotte Owen ’s CoLab Conversation is some of the best advice to achieve true success from the very beginning of your career.?
8. We learned so much about “Genzennials” from Jessica Tarlov 's presentation about her white paper, 'The Utopians’. (Plus, we always love well-placed pop-culture references!) This is really a must-watch conversation for anyone who wants to know more about how Gen Z and Millennial leaders approach work and life. Some of it probably will surprise you!
9. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. This was a great reminder from Aparna Khurjekar in her "What I Now Know" session. You determine what the right opportunities are in your career and what success looks like for YOU.
10. “Be selective with the things you self-disclose at work.” Lorrie Lykins , VP of Research at i4cp and the Editor of The SheSuite, joined us to talk about how you can strengthen and support your data with the use of storytelling and her advice was spot on!?
11. Bonnie St. John ’s “Joy Kit.” It’s a “first aid kit for your attitude,” that includes items collected by you to remind you that you can achieve anything. Bonnie talks all about this idea during her CoLab Conversation and we highly recommend trying it.??
12. Liza Kensrud dropped so many good actionable tips in her CoLab Conversation “Being Amazing In The Job You Are In Right Now ” but her advice on getting constructive feedback really struck a chord with us and the audience.
13. Margaretta (Peggy) Northrop ’s 5 Things She Wishes She Knew When Starting Her Career : 1.) There are no straight paths.? 2.) It’s all about saying “Yes!” 3.) Networking is for introverts. 4.) Learn to say “No!” 5.) You deserve joy.
14. “Saying that women left the workforce by choice is like saying that someone left a burning building by choice.” This analogy was made during our CoLab Conversation with The UN Foundation’s Michelle Milford Morse and Mary Micevych Jerome on their Five for 5 initiative, and we couldn't agree more.?Check out the whole conversation to learn about Five for 5 and what actions you can take towards equality.
15. What’s your value proposition? (aka that quick unforgettable statement that explains who you are and what you bring to the table). Ellen Bailey posed this thought-provoking question and we’ve been refining ours ever since.
16. The Work + Life + Motherhood pathway on our Degreed platform is a must-read for any mother-to-be career woman. (You’ll need to register if you haven’t already.)
17. ERGs: Good For People, Good For Business was a panel discussion we hosted with ERG leaders from Verizon , LinkedIn and 金佰利 . It was so inspiring to hear the conversation with Kia Wilson , Mary Y. and Courtney Hering . Each shared their organization's unique challenges, what they are doing to address them and how they support the women in their company. ("Inspiration rings" sound amazing, right?)
18. Lynne Hughes ’s 5 Strategies for Building Resilience: 1) Train your brain. 2) Know what you have control over. 3) Change your words. 4) Develop daily strategies. 5) Prioritize internal happiness. Lynn is the founder & CEO of Comfort Zone Camp , a female-owned business devoted to helping grieving children. Check out her amazing CoLab Conversation now.
19. Re-imagining Your Career . Looking to make a career change? Reinvent yourself? We can’t think of a better place to start. Check out our learning platform, powered by Degreed , for more great content to help launch or grow your career.
20. We loved this conversation with jen kanter about her career path, working in creative spaces and being a life-long learner. She spoke candidly about how becoming a mom shaped her career choices and what example she wants to set for her daughter.
21. This Work-life Balance learning pathway. We all know that to be our best for others we have to be our best to ourselves first. Easier said than done, we know, but this pathway is a really great way to start .
22. Erica Henry shared so much wisdom in her "What I now Know " session but two things we're still thinking about are — 1. know your self-worth, add tax on top of it ?? 2. If you make a mistake, keep going. It's what you do with that mistake that's key.
23. “Your energy is your currency. It’s not personal. It’s physics.” Suzy Batiz has us thinking about the connection between science, energy and success and we’re giving her CoLab Conversation another watch as we reflect on 2023 and think about what we want out of 2024.

And that's a wrap!

As we close out 2023, we want to thank everyone who has participated in Women's CoLab this year. Words cannot express our immense gratitude to our partners and guests for sharing your expertise, experience and wisdom with our community. This list is a small example of how your contributions breathe energy into Women’s CoLab. ??

And a very special thank you to our community! We are so grateful for your input, your voice, your enthusiasm, your questions and, especially, for the time you spend with us.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and successful 2024! ??