Pass the Mic @ Cannes Lions 2024

The femmissance is in full swing as women continue to bask in the well deserved, long overdue, spotlight. And from sports arenas to boardrooms, society is increasingly embracing women in new and different roles. As we continue to champion women making impacts and shifting norms, we’re passing the mic to powerful females in leadership to hear their stories and share their advice with women everywhere.??

SiriusXM Media ’s initiative, Pass the Mic, features over 200 impressive women in leadership in articles, podcast episodes, and videos. Most recently, we sailed out to the French riviera to sit down with changemaking women at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in The Female Quotient 's Equality Lounge. Senior Director, Content and Digital Marketing, Jocelyn Hudak , and Nidia S. , Vice President, Sales Marketing, interviewed eleven women from powerhouse corporations to podcast hosts.

Turn on some beach side tunes and check out the highlights from their conversations below.?

Be your truest self

As time progresses, we’re seeing more and more women advocating for authenticity in and out of the workplace. For Brie Garcia, co-host of The Nikki & Brie Show, being authentically you is the way to win at everything.?

"Go with your gut and just be authentically you. I feel like social media at times can make us feel that we're not doing it right. Or, maybe me as a person isn't what's going to make change or be noticed, but it will be. when you're authentically you, you're always going to win. And when you're faking it or you're trying to be someone you're not, you will always fail" - Brie Garcia

Check out Brie’s full interview for more inspiration.?

When you live life authentically, you find people who will rally behind you through every step of your journey. Take Ashley Flowers , founder of audiochuck and co-host of Crime Junkie, for example.?

"I need to do right by people and everything that we do, whether it's the content, our internal team, the way I think about benefits, it's all about loving people and showing love. And I think that that has shined through. So even if I mess up, I'm going to mess up. People are willing to hang in there with me through it because they believe that I have the right intentions. They believe in me. They believe more importantly in this thing that we're building, in the mission that we have." - Ashley Flowers

Tune in to Ashley’s full interview to hear her other words of wisdom.??

Your voice makes a difference

The time for women to take up space is now. Long gone are the days of second guessing and self-criticism. For Michele Rousseau , SVP of Global Marketing & Creative at Expedia Group , speaking up is your best move.??

“Speak up. So much of the time I feel like we don't feel that we can, and we have that burning thing inside of us that we do know the answer. We do have a point of view and an opinion, but we’re too afraid to speak, especially in either male dominated meeting rooms or around louder people. Everyone is different, but speak out with what you believe in or what your beliefs are.” - Michele Rousseau?

Listen to Michele’s full interview now for more actionable advice.?

Speaking up can be difficult. Especially when we’re trying to find the balance between leader and learner. According to Alex McClure , Global Head of CTV & Audio at Expedia Group it’s all about taking a chance on yourself and growing through the changes.?

“Don't filter yourself out. I think this is something that women especially do. If you see a job description and you think that you could do that job well, even if you maybe don't fit every single bullet point on the job description, apply for it. If you aren't qualified to say no, it's not your job to filter yourself out of really great opportunities. And you never know, you might bring a really great new perspective to that role that they are looking for and they just didn't realize.” - Alex McClure

Want to hear more from Alex? Check out her full interview.?

Going all in on yourself can be scary, but the reward at the end is well worth it. According to Michele Barlow , EVP, Marketing at 美国银行 , taking a chance on yourself sometimes means being your own biggest advocate.?

“Do the best job you can. Promote your work. Don't be afraid to promote your work… Again, especially in a big company, you do have to have a voice now, and I learned that along the way as well. I think many times, to your point, because I let others take the spotlight, I probably didn't get credit for what I was doing, or perhaps it contributed to what I was just talking about. So I am a big proponent for celebrating others, but don't forget about yourself.” - Michele Barlow

It’s our turn to put Michele in the spotlight. Give her full interview a listen.

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Keep pushing forward

When you get knocked down, it’s all about picking yourself up, brushing off the dust, and moving forward. Varsha Kaura , Global Client Lead at Omnicom , believes things get better when you keep charging full speed ahead.?

“In a way, ignorance is bliss. Because if you don't realize it, you keep charging like a pit bull and you keep doing what you're doing, and you never realize that the reason why it is so difficult for you to jump through those hoops, as it could be because of the fact that they have subconsciously are slotting you into a certain silo. So keep doing that and keep breaking the boundaries.” - Varsha Kaura?

Give Varsha’s full interview a listen and get ready for more inspiring words.?

Moving forward means facing new challenges, which can be tricky. During hard times, Liz Rutgersson , Chief Executive Officer at iProspect , looks for positivity in every situation.

“When there's something challenging or when there's a negative situation in the work environment, understanding the other person's perspective first and trying to understand where they're coming from, has really helped me find positivity in a negative situation. There's always another perspective and someone always has something else going on and something else that they're feeling.” - Liz Rutgersson

Listen to Liz’s full interview now and get ready to feel motivated.

When we talked about growth with Ro Patrick , SVP, Group Campaign Director at the Ad Council , she shined a light on the importance of learning from your failures.??

“Its important, especially in front of your team, if you know you made, or the team made a decision, and it just wasnt the right thing, you got to own it. You just got to take responsibility and say, ‘Thats on me.’ And show a little bit of that moment of vulnerability to your team. Use that as a moment of modeling, and then you learn. You move on. You do the next thing. So I think failure is a gift that we can all learn from.” - Ro Patrick

Tune in to Ro’s full interview to hear more.

Honesty and Openness

Authenticity, kindness, and honesty—these all play an important role in the relationships we build both personally and professionally. And for Stacy McCarthy DeRiso , US CEO at Initiative , being transparent about everything going on in your life is what helps you find balance.

”I'm very transparent, and I like other people to feel like they can be as well, both in terms of transparency, in terms of supporting each other, in terms of being kind of upfront about things, whether that's needs you might have in life and how that balances with work, whether that's about how someone is performing or not, whether that's about what's really happening in business or certain client relationships. I'd say very transparent and instinctual; that's how I would describe my leadership style.” - Stacy DeRiso

Tune in to Stacy’s full interview to hear more about her leadership style.

Much like Liz mentioned before, Mindy Barry , Global Vice President of Marketing, SHEBA brand, for 玛氏食品 Pet Nutrition, finds that a positive mindset is the key to impactful leadership.

“One of the things I bring to my leadership style is a positive mindset. I have a bias to focus on the positive, and so I like to have an approach with the team of putting the tensions on the table first, and then let's talk about what would need to be true… Once that is laid out, we can figure it out from there. Who do we need to talk with? How can we influence change?” - Mindy Barry

If you’re looking for more words of wisdom, check out Mindy’s full interview.?

When you strive to create an open, positive, and honest work environment, you, your coworkers, your business, and the people around you feel a sense of belonging. For Emily K. Graham , Chief Equity & Impact Officer at Omnicom , understanding your peers is the first step to inclusivity.??

“Humble yourself, because every effort to be intentionally inclusive is usually born [out] of you failing to be inclusive... Know that you have blind spots. Recognize that people will call them out. Honor that and embrace it when it happens. And every moment you miss to be inclusive is a learning opportunity to bring more people in, to have them be alongside you and let them show you what inclusion looks like for what they need.” - Emily Graham

Check out Emily’s full interview for another dose of inspiration.?

With creators like Ashley and Brie behind the mic and powerhouse executives like our fabulous Pass the Mic guests in the boardroom, the women following in their footsteps have greater chances for success in their careers and an established platform to continue fighting for women's equality.?

Press play on the newest episodes of the Pass The Mic Podcast to hear even more from these powerful women.?