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LINDSAY JEAN THOMSON: Before I tell you
what I'm about to tell you, a little bit of context.
I grew up in a very small and conservative town,
and I was the girl who wore a "this is what a feminist looks
like" T-shirt to school.
So knowing that about me, one day, many years later,
I'm hanging out in the park with my best friend Kim.
We are flying kites and drinking beers, like we do.
And seemingly out of nowhere I say, hey,
would you want to start like a monthly women's speakers series
with me?
And because Kim is the kind of person
who is such an enthusiastic yes to life,
she was in, and that's how Women Catalysts was born.
How many of you have heard of us?
Or been to an event?
Great.
We are on a mission to inspire the catalyst in every woman
through powerful storytelling, lasting community, and the best
resources.
We started Women Catalysts for a lot of reasons.
And I'm going to talk about one in particular today.
The power of shifting the storylines that hold us back.
These are actual headlines from around the time
we started Women Catalysts.
Or they're supposed to be.
But things happen, right?
Lean in.
Don't lean in, lean out.
Ask for what you want, but make sure you do it just right,
and you're probably not going to get it anyways.
How do you feel when you hear stories like these?
Yeah.
They're problematic for a lot of reasons, right?
I feel really frustrated, but worse than that,
I feel disempowered.
Like, I could try to follow all of that contradictory advice,
but would it even matter?
So what would matter?
What can I do?
I can start with the stories that I tell myself,
and that I share with my community.
And the reality is, I know a lot of amazing women
who defy those headlines.
I'm guessing you do too.
Women who start companies and nonprofits.
Women who make art and write books.
And who do all of these incredible things,
not out of some trite dated notion
of having it all, but because they care
and because they have something of value to offer the world.
Over the past year I've gotten to interview
many of these women for our speaker series, Catalyst
Conversations.
Women like Zakiya Harris, who not only started Hack the Hood,
but is also a mom, a musician, an educator, and so much more.
Really, I have no idea how she does it all.
Women like Elle Luna, who left her job in tech to make art,
and inspired millions of people around the world
with her story, "The Crossroads of Should and Must."
I'm guessing some of you have heard of that one.
Yeah.
These are the kinds of stories that I want to tell,
because they make me feel like I can do it too.
How do you feel when you hear stories like these?
Yeah, they're a lot more empowering, right?
I'm really honored to say that over the past year
we have accomplished so much.
And it was just a dream.
And I'm sharing all of this with you
because, where might you be in a year?
What story will you tell, and who will you
inspire with your words and with your actions?
In the last year, we have gone from doing events in San
Francisco, to New York, and LA.
With the help of our small but mighty team
we've raised over $15,000 for nonprofits
doing really important work in our communities.
And most recently we launched the Catalyst Collective,
our online community and group coaching program
for aspiring change makers.
So again, where might you be in a year?
What story will you tell, and who might you
inspire with your words and with your actions?
Because the stories we tell matter.
What you do matters.
You matter.
What change do you want to see in the world?
Take fierce action with great love, and be a catalyst, too.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
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