On April 28, around 700 attendees showed up at Magic Box in L.A. to attend Girlboss’ third rally. The walls were tinted pink, and emblazoned with messages like, “start your own shit” and “good work should = good pay.” A headshot studio, a bookstore filled with Girlboss founder Sophia Amaruso’s faves and one-on-one entrepreneurship mentoring sessions were just a few of the offerings on tap. It was a veritable smorgasbord of female empowerment—and we haven’t even touched on the speakers and panels yet.
This one-day conference tapped inspirational, trailblazing women (AKA girlbosses), like Bozoma St. John, Uber’s Chief Brand Officer, and Gwyneth Paltrow, actress, entrepreneur and CEO/founder of goop, as speakers. Topics included finding your voice, building your own business and overcoming failure.
In addition to the panels and fireside chats, attendees had access to a variety of bonus activities, including a video booth/makeup touchups from Sephora Collection and the aforementioned headshot studio.
Here, the best words of wisdom from the Girlboss Rally 2018. Get ready to be inspired AF.
On Empowering Yourself
"I want to be f****** formidable. I want to shake in my own boots. I want to be so capable that I terrify myself into doing something new." —Sophia Amoruso, founder and CEO, Girlboss
On Building A Brand
"You have to be incredibly steadfast to your vision." —Gwyneth Paltrow, actress, entrepreneur and founder of goop
"Have a mission that you're willing to go to the grave with. Don't worry about champagne problems." —Payal Kadakia, founder and executive chairman, Classpass
On Finding Your Voice
"My journey to finding my own voice is definitely still growing. It hasn't been easy. It's been scary, but it's also been one of the most empowering journeys I've ever been on." —Lizzie Velazquez, advocate
"The truth about being a girl -- I opened my eyes to the truth about being a girl, I thought about dinner dates and soul mates, I am not an object I have a choice and something to say, Don’t think I belong in your bedroom, I belong in a conference room." —Aija Mayrock, poet
On Taking Care Of Yourself
"Unfollow accounts that you find [toxic]. I call it the F*** S*** Detox. Detox yourself of all the things that chip away at your womanhood, at your sense of self." —Jameela Jamil, actress (The Good Place)
"After awhile, I started to develop this anxiety whenever my cell phone would chime. At a certain point, I started to despise my phone. I had to learn how to calm myself down." —Michelle Phan, entrepreneur
On Race
"[Tokenism] is insulting to my resume, to what I’ve accomplished. I’m in this job not because I’m a black woman, but because I’m the best at what I do and being a black woman is just the sauce." —Bozoma St. John, chief brand officer at Uber
"The majority of the working class are women of color. When we’re talking about women’s rights we have to think about 'what are women really dealing with?'" —Marya Bangee, executive director, Harness
On Being Your Own Boss
“Why am I not satisfied? It was because I wanted to see what it looked like to create something for myself, and be my own boss, and make the mistakes.” —Sara McDowell, content creator
"I ask myself, ‘Will this be a learning experience for me?’ If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, I’m giving myself the permission to say no." —Sara Wilson, digital strategist
On Failure
"When I look at people in our office who are not failing, I think, 'What are you doing? Because you’re not testing ideas. You’re not working.'" —Jen Gotch, founder and creative director of ban.do
"I had to emotionally and physically train myself to move on from failure. It’s a muscle you have to exercise every day. The more you can get over the little things, the more able you are to deal with the medium and big things." —Jen Rubio, co-founder of Away
On Representation
"It's very easy for men to say, 'just quit,' because they can find another job. The definition of bravery isn't stepping forward when things are safe; it's when there is a cost to you."—Marti Noxon, writer, producer and director
"I want more women to be behind the camera, in front of the camera; we need to seize the moment and show that we can make the most amazing product." —Amanda Brugel, actress (The Handmaid's Tale)
On Creating Change
"Be really mindful of all the conversations you have with one another. Starting to have more complicated and more nuanced conversations with people is how the needle moves within our own communities." —Sarah Sophie Flicker, Women's March organizer
"Take voting deadly serious. If there's something you're going to study for, it should be election day." —Alyssa Mastromonaco, president, global communications strategy and talent at A+E Networks and deputy chief of staff for the Obama administration
