On November 11 in New York City, it was literally freezing outside. But inside Industria Studios in Manhattan’s West Village, the second-ever Girlboss Rally brought some serious heat.
More than 600 attendees and 30 speakers gathered for the all-day event dissecting what success means, why failure can be a gift, and all the nuanced and complex ideas and experiences that fall in between the two.
Women from 14 countries flew in for a day of insightful, thought-provoking conversation, inspiration, insider access, and of course, above all, an undeniable sense of community and sisterhood.
And while the team here at Girlboss knew this rally was going to be something special, there’s no way we could have foreseen just how awe-inspiring being in one room with so many of you, soaking up all of your energy could be.
Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite moments of the day.
And, if you weren’t able to join us for this go-round, there are two things you need to know: First, you can buy a digital ticket, which will not only get you access to every panel, workshop and fireside chat that went down, but you can also watch every talk that took place at the first Girlboss Rally in LA back in March. Get your digital ticket here.
Second, we’re already planning the next Girlboss Rally for spring 2018. And we can’t wait to see you there. Sign up for our newsletter here so you don’t miss out.
The night before the Rally, festivities kicked off with the Founders’ Dinner, co-hosted by Sophia Amoruso and Whitney Wolfe Herd, CEO and founder of Bumble, at the Cadillac House in Soho.
Cadillac House gets pretty in pink.
Before dinner, guests were treated to an exclusive performance from Mayaeni, a powerhouse singer-songwriter hailing from Detroit. She’s pretty incredible, y’all.
At the main event, attendees entered Industria through a long, neon-lit hallway of posters designed by Kastor and Pollux.
Attendees kicked off the morning with some breakfast vibes from Daily Harvest, juice from Joe and the Juice, and much-needed caffeine from Equator Coffee. Plus, snacks and refreshments from RxBars, PopChips, Health-Ade and GAB. were on hand all day to keep our hustlers fueled and energized.
And of course, our own Sophia Amoruso kicked off the programming with her usual candor and humor, touching on the why it’s more important than ever for women to come together: “It’s a time where women are speaking up and talking about the insane shit we’ve had to put up with pretty much since the dawn of time,” she said. “We can’t choose what happens but we can choose what we do with it.”
Next up was the inimitable Gabby Bernstein, a New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker. “Success,” she reiterated, “is an inside job.”
One of the most powerful conversations of the day was the fireside chat with supermodel and body-positivity activist Ashley Graham, who of course brought her trademark realness: “I never lost weight bcause I’m that girl who, if you tell me to lose weight, I’m going to go and eat a Snickers and it goes right to my hips. You can’t suck in your hips.”
Attendees took a midday refuel break with lunch from Dig Inn, which dished up delicious, hearty bowls of sustainable, healthy ingredients—perfect for hustlers on the go who want to stay connected to what they’re putting in their bodies. Also, their pun game was extremely strong.
It was a jam-packed day, but of course, there was still plenty of time for selfies and making new friends.
At the Rally, we debuted Startup Studio in partnership with our friends at Google Chromebook. Attendees signed up for workshops on brand building, navigating the wild world of venture capital, communication within your company, flexibility in the workplace, and personal finance. Spots filled up within hours of being released, but don’t worry—you can get access to all of the talks with a digital ticket!
The smarties in the audience brought the insightful questions all. day. long.
As was the case with the inaugural Girlboss Rally in LA back in March, the Boss Shots headshot station brought to life by our buds at Bumble Bizz was one of the most popular activations at the Rally. Attendees had the chance to get hair and makeup touchups from Glamsquad before striking a pose in front of a professional photographer for use on Bumble Bizz, the official networking platform of the Rally—and beyond.
In keeping with our ongoing #whatifwednesday series with Pinterest, attendees were able to take and scan printed Pins of new things they wanted to try off of the Try Wall. They were also given pledge cards to fill out and mail back to themselves as a reminder to keep their commitment to themselves and try their next big what if.
Our friends at Flow Water helped us stay hydrated all day with that supremely fresh H2O.
One of the big surprises at the Rally was the announcement of the newest winners of the Girlboss Foundation grant, which went to Sandy Hong and Melissa Wong, founders of New Women Space.
One of the most anticipated panels of the day was “Sell Yourself, Not Your Soul” with Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth, Manrepeller founder Leandra Medine, and Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. “We have cultivated the community that we want to follow us and we aren’t distracted by the naysayers,” Welteroth told the audience. “If you’re trying to please everyone, you’re not going to get anywhere.”
The last panel of the evening was a fireside chat from best-selling author and world-renowned psychologist Esther Perel, who dropped some serious knowledge bombs: “The pressure comes from the expectation that we can achieve everything. We can achieve a lot, but we can not always do it all at the same time.”
The evening wrapped up with a much-deserved cocktail party, made possible by our friend at Women & Whiskies.
Better believe we didn’t mess around with these gift bags, either. Attendees walked away with goodies from Vrai and Oro, Piper Wai, Jet.com, Dagne Dover, Outdoor Voices, Jules Smith, Splendid Spoon, Leaf TV, Lady Getz, MAKE, Erno Laszlo, Uma Oils, Verb, Herbivore, Eco Tools, Philosophy, Laura Geller, Garnier, Chillhouse, Iconery, ADAY, Onomie, Knock Knock, HUM, Hatch, VI, Mugler, Stash Wealth, Self Made, Glamsquad, Mignonne Gavigan and ARDELL. Major score.
And that’s a wrap. Rest up for a minute, and then let’s do it all again in a few months. See you at the next Girlboss Rally!
