It’s time to change who we’re listening to

Speaking at conferences introduced me to collaborators, mentors, and media and business opportunities that have accelerated my career. These have helped me make a much greater impact than I would have otherwise.

As a business owner, developing a strong brand is one of the most challenging things to achieve. Last year Sonya suggested me as a source to a couple of journalists; being quoted in those articles served as a launchpad, allowing me to quickly build brand recognition through being quoted by several major media outlets. I now have over 30 article features and have made several national TV appearances this year.

Event organizers are often under numerous constraints, time and budget, that can create a high-pressure and high-stakes environment to find the right speaker for the role. Having introductions and tools to expand our network of speakers has been instrumental in building engaging agendas that feature brilliant, diverse speakers. Whenever you can remove friction and create an easy button for people it helps businesses move forward and grow.

Women of color are often overlooked for high-visibility speaking roles because of inaccurate assumptions about our experience or a lack of diversity in the networks of conference organizers. Those we choose to speak shape our collective conversations and receive numerous rewards for doing so. Who is chosen to speak influences what is being talked about and considered important. A high-visibility speaking engagement can also change who you know and accelerate the course of the speaker’s career. Giving the microphone to women of color financial experts benefits both individual careers and our industry as a whole.

Having my professional expertise included in major media publications like the New York Times, has been tremendously impactful. Not only does it increase the visibility of my business, it also bolsters credibility with prospects, and opens up new business collaboration, speaking, and media opportunities.

If we want to increase inclusion in our industry, it should start at the front of the room. To be positioned as a thought-leader on stage in front of industry peers and other leaders is an opportunity that can be incredibly meaningful to one’s career. Having an advocate like Sonya, and now Choir, is going to be impactful for so many new and seasoned speakers alike.

It’s true that speaking at conferences helps amplify my voice to the financial services industry. But even before that, the process of speaking helped me find and refine my voice. I feel strongly that I have an important story and a unique perspective to share. Speaking and acting from this place has moved mountains for me professionally and personally.

This is one of the most impactful initiatives that anyone has done for our profession.