Wow! Alt Summit x Riveter was last week, and it was truly magical to come together IRL for the first time since, well, March 2020. Together we converged on Pier Sixty on the Hudson River on a perfect, sunny, sparkling NYC fall day and celebrated community, connection, innovation, and of course, getting paid. (In the immortal words of closing keynote speaker Sallie Krawcheck: “Nothing bad happens when women have money.”)
There was so much wisdom shared from the Alt stage & breakout sessions that it’s impossible to collect it all here (that’s… kind of the point of actually coming to the conference) but here’s a smattering of observations and insights that struck home:
“Be more curious than you are afraid to be rejected.” – Kate Voegle
“If you learn to tell a story you can do any job.” – Amy Nelson
“Do not talk yourself out of self-exploration.” – Cyndie Spiegel
“The growth & opportunity is in the fear.” – Julia Haart
“Anger makes you brave.” – Gabrielle Blair
“Your network is your net worth.” – Hitha Palepu
“Always ask for more (there’s usually more)!” – Chrissy King
“Start where you are with what you have – then take the next step” – Julie Lewis
“Community is everything.” – Andrea Serrano
And that was just a smattering! (And also just the smatterings that would fit on one line. If you want to hear Julia Haart’s story of just how high the African Elk can jump – and how that relates to your life – then you’ll have to come to the next Alt. And it wasn’t even in her book, Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie – we really get the exclusive content!)
And while we are talking about books… it was such a pleasure to toast Alt Summit founder Gabrielle Blair on the launch of her book, Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way To Think About Abortion. As Gabby pointed out onstage, “Men cause all unwanted pregnancies” (HENCE HER BOOK TITLE) and “women have been carrying the burden of birth control forever” (once more: HENCE HER BOOK TITLE).
We are so grateful to everyone who boarded a plane, a train, a bus, or walked all the way to the west side in sneakers (or your sensible conference shoe of choice) to join us at Pier Sixty last week – it was truly amazing to be together again. We hope you found inspiration, wisdom, fellowship, support, crafting, swag, headshots, and snacks – and maybe a glimmer of what’s next.
And fine, spoiler alert: The moral of Julia Haart’s African Elk story was to JUMP. We hope Alt Summit x Riveter helped inspire you to take a leap – wherever it may take you.
