Our second WACL Wisdom was a special evening
Merry Baskin summarises the second WACL Wisdom event on 26th April, for those who couldn’t make it
‘Many of those members who attended the first outing of WACL Wisdom in February in McCann’s spectacular Bishopsgate offices came back for more in April, along with some first timers and brand-new members. This enthusiastic and supportive turn out is hopefully indicative of several things – not least that we appear to have a bit of a ‘thing’ on our hands.
(A ‘thing’ being a memorable WACL Members’ Only event with perennial appeal, using an intimate format that guarantees diverse cultural, experiential and generational interest and, of course, unforgettable, applicable words of wisdom across the board).
With over 300 members now in the Club, there is never going to be a shortage of compelling content, in fact, each outing has yielded several volunteers lining up to contribute to the next one. Each and every one of us female leaders has a story to tell, be it personal or professional, comprising a powerful anecdote that can heart-stoppingly inspire, trigger a tear, prompt a humbling nod of recognition, a hearty laugh and always offer something to learn from.
In Rania’s email the next morning, thanking the contributors, she summed it up brilliantly for all of us in the audience:
“I just wanted to say another really big thank you for last night being so generous with your time and deeply personal stories. I got so much out of it personally and we got the most wonderful feedback throughout the night”.
Again, guided by our excellent MC’s, Claire and Sonoo, we welcomed 10 fantastic brave and brilliant speakers to share their challenging stories along the same lines, using the three question format set by Rudi: What challenged me? How did I overcome it? What’s the gift this situation brought me?
What follows are some brief almost perfunctory snippets from the sessions that don’t do justice to some of the jaw dropping content but might provide sufficient intrigue for the reader as to what they missed, or prompt a respectful reminder from those privileged to witness it live.
The topics ranged from how to leave the agency (baby!) you founded, how to make a brave career change, guidance on coping with grief and bereavement (they are different), the powerful and enduring influence of our mothers (and our sons), dealing with sexual assault and harassment and stepping up to the plate vs hanging onto other’s coat tails, .
Memorable nuggets included ‘my thoughts are not facts’, ‘look for the small things in life that can help you – e.g. a quarter of an Aspirin a day’, and ‘now touch the thigh of the woman sitting next to you’. We also saw some spectacular shoes, some beautiful purple baby irises called George, and got angry about a pair of yellow argyle socks that we will forever view in a very different light. Like we say, you had to be there.
Once again, proof that the WACL Wisdom concept has delivered against former President Kate’s original 2021 brief: To better connect our members across the generations by drawing on the immense wisdom within our incredible network to support and inspire each other; by highlighting our varied and diverse lived experiences and by bringing to the fore important conversations and insights’ (21.11.21). Kudos to Rania for championing it as something so ‘unashamedly WACL’ and bringing it into the heart of our 100th year celebrations.’
Members can see more photos in the photo gallery of the event.
Thanks for summarising so perfectly, Merry. And huge thanks to Sarah Bauman, Rudi Symons and Merry Baskin and the terrific team who helped make it happen on the night, once again.
About the author
The Others & Me; Author of No More Menemies