10 Notable Takeaways From Jopwell Talks

Jopwell’s inaugural summit may be over, but the conversations with the panelists are still lingering with lessons from the day. Over 300 people from the Jopwell community showed up to network and learn more about some of our favorite partners. Themes like work life balance, systemic racism, entrepreneurship, and more were discussed by several prominent speakers. We’ve collected some helpful gems from the talk that can be applied to anyone's professional career, no matter what level you’re on. Here are 10 motivational mantras from our conference at the Brooklyn Museum.

1. If you want to succeed, resilience is one of the most important qualities you should learn.

“When I think about resilience I think about the capacity to shape yourself to navigate adversity. Because let me tell you, adversity is there and you are going to confront it, you’re going to have trouble with it and have various obstacles. So we have to learn how to manage our relationship with adversity because you won’t get rid of adversity.” -Dr. Michael Lomax, President and Chief Executive Officer, United Negro College Fund

2. Impostor syndrome is real, but you should never doubt yourself or limit yourself from what you are capable of.

“I do feel that you have to get the skills and you have to feel good about yourself, but I’m not going to let anyone take my light away from me. If things don’t work out it’s because I didn’t do the thing I thought I could do, but I’m not going to let anyone stifle me without a fight. I’m not going to do that.” -Gayle King, Co-host, CBS This Morning

3. Failing isn’t a setback. Failing is a stepping stone to your success and achievement.

“You have to have failures in your equation of how your life will operate because if you don’t have failures in there, that means you didn’t really push the envelope.” -Dr. Michael Lomax, President and Chief Executive Officer, United Negro College Fund

4. Your reputation is how people will remember you.

“I like to think of ‘personal brand’ in terms of 'reputation.’ We are the impact that we have on everyone and everything that we touch and everything counts: your thoughts, your words, your actions, your omissions.” -Antonio Lucio, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Facebook

5. As you learn more, you should constantly be reinventing yourself. That’s the way to become the best version of yourself.

“One of the things I learned as a chef is that I’m more curious today than I was when I started. Wherever you are today and whatever field you’re in, it’s really important to reinvent yourself. You’re not living unless you’re doing that.” -Marcus Samuelsson, Award-Winning Chef and Co-owner of Red Rooster Harlem

6. Don’t let other peoples’ opinions about you shape your narrative.

“I’m not one of these people who say ‘I don’t care what people think about me.’ I care about what my kids think, what the people who employ me think, and what the people— who I respect and admire—think. But to get caught up on what people who don’t know you think is a waste of time.” -Gayle King, Co-host, CBS This Morning

7. Being YOU is a privilege that no one can take from you.

“I want us all to stop being so comfortable with trying to be accepted by groups that vehemently do not want to accept us and just create our own spaces.” -Sivan Alyra Rose, first Native American woman to lead in a TV series

8. People of color are often silenced in the workplace. It’s important for you to make sure your voice is heard.

“We are the new majority in this country. We need to assume our rightful seat at the business table. And we need to speak our voice with our own accent, our own tone, and with our own freaking rhythm.” -Antonio Lucio, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Facebook

9. You have to be your number one supporter.

“If you don’t think big enough for yourself, no one is going to think big enough for you.” -Edith Cooper, Independent Board Director, Slack and Etsy

10. Never lower your ambition to fit someone else's standards.

“I was always told to lower my ambition because there’s no one in France that looked like me. They were right. I didn’t exist anywhere. I learned that if it doesn’t exist, I’d just have to do it myself. I never lowered my ambition, I just figured out another way, another place, and eventually you’ll get a shot.” -Marcus Samuelsson, Award-Winning Chef and Co-owner of Red Rooster Harlem

Photo Credit: Natiah Jones

Check out Jopwell Talks event photos.