The Inaugural SheMoney Summit! A Recap.

In my May SheMoney newsletter I set the context for our upcoming BIG event that we had been preparing for since SheMoney evolved from a newsletter to something so much bigger. I made the case for why we chose to do a big event, described the innovative format (dance, money talks, money workshops, poetry, a film competition, music, money monologues performed by professional actors, a GREEN-themed pop-up store), and shared my hopes for the gathering. The term I introduced and leaned on was “collective effervescence” and having that be a goal for the summit. It describes the magic that can be found in a shared experience. It is that magic, when suddenly people are singing the words to a song together, smiling at each other, acknowledging their shared humanity through eye contact, energy, and a feeling of oneness. Could it be possible around the topic of money and financial wellness? According to our survey results, yes! Frankly, we were scared that it would not work, but it did. It really, really did! It is with much excitement that I am sharing this recap about the event and announcing that our 'money talks' are now available on our newly created YouTube Channel. While you may not have been one of the 500 people that attended our summit in person, thanks to our partnership with Comcast, you can view the talks, the film competition winners, and more.

We were serious when we said that the SheMoney Summit was aspiring to be so much more than an event, but rather to spark a cultural movement when it comes to women and money. While we wanted our attendees to have practical financial take-aways, we also wanted them to have the opportunity to feel something and not just learn something. The power of story played a huge role in making this event such a success. And here it is the thing....

Further, that getting better with money is truly a lifelong journey, and there are many things that get in the way of that, including our experiences, attitudes and beliefs. There are also systemic barriers, like racism and sexism, that can be embedded in financial systems. And of course, knowledge barriers. Accessing what we need to know and do, when we need to know and do it, should be so much easier. Normalizing thinking about money, talking about money, sharing about money is a pathway to getting better with money. I covered all these points and more in my opening key-note titled "Why Money Matters" which is available on our YouTube Channel. I also aspired to set the context for the 'money talks' and 'money workshops' that would follow.

Our first featured Money Talk speaker was Rosie Rios, the 43rd Treasurer of the United States whose signature is on over $1.5 trillion in U.S. currency. In her keynote address, (click here to watch) Rosie emphasized the significant role that money plays in representing historical narratives and empowering women. She recounts her journey during the 2008 financial crisis and her subsequent role in the U.S. Treasury, highlighting her mission to include women's portraits on U.S. currency. Rios spearheaded efforts to redesign paper currency and coins, including the initiative to place 20 notable women on U.S. quarters from 2022 to 2025. The United States is still one of many countries, alongside other large countries like China, Russia and India, that do not have women represented on their banknotes. She communicated the importance of this physical representation and the tactile connection people have with money. Beyond money, Rosie spoke about other initiatives including the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument which is now located in Central Park, New York City, that honors the trailblazing work of pioneering women’s rights advocates Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Before this monument, which was unveiled in 2020, of the 100+ monuments and statues in the park there were none depicting real women. There was a collective gasp when this fact was revealed to our 400+ audience members. She ended with an invitation, which was for everyone to recognize the power of money as a tool for institutionalizing history and for inspiring future generations, urging them to take action and ensure women's contributions are acknowledged and celebrated.

In addition to Rosie, we had five more incredible 'money talks' and one fireside chat, all of which are now available on our YouTube Channel. Over time we hope that SheMoney will be known for these powerful 'money talks' in a similar way that TED is known for their compelling content. Our annual summit will be the flagship event for the next round of 'money talks' and additional content will include our LinkedIn Live Conversations and more. This summer will be spent in planning mode for what comes next for SheMoney as a content and consulting company and I welcome your thoughts and insights.

A huge thanks to ALL of our speakers and I am so excited for you to be able to watch their talks. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, share the talks and add your comments! Click on the name of our speaker for bios and the title to link directly to the talk.

Shubhi Rao / Generative AI & The Future of Financial Health

Joline Godfrey / Raising Financially Fit Kids

Chantel Chapman / The Trauma of Money

Ashley Bell / The Future of Allyship

Nathalie Molina Ni?o & Margaret Mitchell, moderated by Nubia Pe?a / Future-Proofing Your Legacy

Heather McCulloch? / What if the Economy Worked for Women??

I'd also like to extend a huge 'thank you' to our workshop leaders: Kathryn Valentine / Money + NEGOTIATION, Nathalie Molina Ni?o / Money + ENTREPRENEURSHIP, Joline Godfrey / Money + PARENTING, ?Chantel Chapman / Money + TRAUMA, Tifany R. Boyles, Elizabeth Bouchard & Karen Heald /Money + GIVING, ?Dr. Jatali Bellanton / Money + INVESTING, Amanda Christensen / Money + SPENDING.? Though these sessions will not be viewable as a talk, we will be sharing content pieces on SheMoney.com.

In addition to these more traditional forms of content delivery, we had an idea to invite summit attendees to submit a money story upon registration that, if chosen, would be read aloud, anonymously, live at the summit. Four monologues were chosen and performed live by actors of the Salt Lake Acting Company. The inspiration for these ‘money monologues’ was in fact, The Vagina Monologues, an episodic play written in 1996 that launched a movement to bring attention to, and aspire to end, the epidemic of violence against women. Once we committed to featuring money monologues we reached out to world renown and celebrated artist and activist V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, with an invitation to talk about the origin story of The Vagina Monologues and how it evolved in to becoming one of the most important artistic works that led to large scale cultural impact. Further, we invited her to make the connection to the subject of money, and more specifically, women and money. We are so grateful to V for this powerful framing which I will absolutely be writing more about. Watch V’s full introduction video here.?We have big plans for our 'money monologues' so stay tuned.

“Our money stories run deep. They live in our bodies, in our histories, in our memories, and these stories are often not shared and they control us without even knowing it. There is so much secrecy and trauma around women and money. So what if we told the truth about money and women?” V (formerly known as Eve Ensler)        

Another art infusion during the summit that people were excited about was our short film competition that we held in collaboration with the Utah Film Center.? We had over 90 submissions, a jury picked the top three which were shown live at the summit. Attendees were then invited to vote for their favorite film. All of the finalists received cash prizes. The prompt for the film was pretty simple: Dear Money.?

The first place film was called “Dear Money,” by Pollard Pictures. This powerful work focuses on Grace, who from a young age witnessed financial stress experienced by her parents. The film follows her through her life, through the ups and downs, and explores the role that money played for her and her family. If you watch the film, and I hope you do, warning to have a box of tissues nearby. Watch it here.

“A reflection on money “ by Kassandra Schreiber and Savannah Clawson took second place. In this heartfelt letter to money, Kassandra reflects on its symbolic nature and its essential role in fulfilling both needs and desires. Despite the societal issues it represents, she resolves to try to master money, and utilize it as a tool for personal growth, connection, and positive change. Watch this beautiful short film here.

We are unable to show our third place film as it is being submitted to a film festival which we are so excited about. All the winning filmmakers happened to be local and were present to accept their awards to standing ovations. A huge thank you to all of the filmmakers who submitted and we cannot wait to do this again next year with a different prompt!

There were so many other artistic moments filtered throughout the 1 1/2 days and that is truly what made our event so special. During Thursday night's dinner, Wynter Storm captivated the audience with her poem "Why Money Has Always Mattered." Her poetry focuses on themes of justice, healing, love, self-love, queerness, and resilience. Wynter wrote this poem specifically for the SheMoney Summit, which can be found here. So many attendees commented that her poem marked a distinctive beginning to the event, setting the tone for profound significance. Two more performances were by local poets Jessica Begay with "We are the Poem", and Franque Michele Bains' poem "Yesterday".

Our opening musical moment was Keiyana Osmond performing "I am Woman". You can watch and listen here. Her performance celebrated the strength and resilience of what it means to be woman+. A second performance was by Detzany who opened our afternoon session with "Flowers". Detzany reconnected and engaged the audience, she even threw flowers as she performed! Check out her performance here. Our closing musical moment was "Dreams" by Mindy Gledhill. This song perfectly captures the sense of transition and emotional turmoil that often accompanies personal change and growth. Watch her stunning rendition here. We quite literally danced our way in to the cocktail hour.

You may be thinking that this event was unlike any money event you every attended, and you would be right. That was the point. While we got exceptionally positive feedback on all our talks and workshops, what made the experience was the art.

Art + Money = SheMoney Magic

So now what? First and foremost, we plan on doing it again next year!? We were waiting to see if it worked before we committed to doing it again, and indeed it worked. If this is sparking your interest either as a future attendee, speaker, artist or sponsor, please feel free to message me here on LINKEDIN. In addition to an annual summit, we are hoping to do smaller events at other large scale gatherings, add to our content offerings, and we will be offering more consulting services to bring our curatorial expertise and fun factor to other events. Find all at SheMoney.com.

In closing, I would also like to thank all our financial sponsors without which this could not have happened. Zions Bank , Utah State Legislature , University of Utah , Comcast NBCUniversal , Redemption Holding , Fidelity Charitable , J. P. Morgan , Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity ?, Vine Lore , Circle Wealth Management , Method Communication, In The Event. We also had so many in kind and gift back sponsors and I can't tell you how happy it made us to have the BEST GIFT BAG ever! Be sure to follow us on Instagram.

Happy July!

Jacki