Super Women

Today at work, I attended the first installment of my agency's Real Women Fostering Women's Leadership series, which are panels moderated by our CEO of North America Barri Rafferty. The panelists were three female leaders from client brands. Barri led a discussion about how women can strive to keep balance in their lives, including topics such as how to avoid guilt when your life is unbalanced, how female leaders maintain stamina, how to compartmentalize your day, and how to prioritize your calendar. The panelists shared valuable insight on each topic that was applicable to women of all ages.

Barri started the hour-long session by reading the definition of Superwoman that Selena Rezvani gives in her book The Next Generation of Women Leaders. The excerpt touches on the pressures that women face to be the best wife, mother, employee, leader, and individual all at once. She must make time for family life and work life, maintain her physical health and appearance, volunteer for the community, and have hobbies. This seems unrealistic, right? The following quote is Executive Vice President of Omnicom Group Janet Riccio's response to that definition. It's stuck with me all day.