In honor of Women’s History Month, our Women Professionals Circle is conducting an interview series highlighting perspectives of some of Matter’s female leaders on the issues and challenges women face in the workplace, in our culture and at home. Check out the past two conversations on Barriers + Challenges and Working + Parenting. 

In our final interview, we focus on what it’s like working in a women-dominated industry, with some great advice from each of our interviewees! 

Question: How have women leaders helped you move forward?

Question: How do you deal with female-dominated industries such as PR sometimes not being taken as seriously as male-dominated ones? 

Emma Gielata: I’m on the B2B tech side of Matter, so I’m working with a lot of male counterparts who are the subject matter experts. To see how the client interacts with my male team members versus me is always interesting. But I think it’s a matter of just owning what you know and being confident in yourself. Then, following that up by delivering great work. 

Question: What advice would you give your younger self, or to younger women professionals?

Emma Gielata: My advice to my younger self is to have that confidence. Our CEO Scott always says, “we have the right people in the right seats.” That’s true for any organization. There’s a reason why you’re in the role that you’re in — own it and be confident in what you know. 

Vanessa Boynton: You have to take the time and do the work. There are going to be flashier, more exciting elements of your job that distract your attention, and while they might inspire your passion, they don’t accomplish anything without the “boring” stuff – reading, research, agendas, notes – backing them up. The “boring” stuff builds the foundation for everything we do. Master that first, and then you can start to pepper some excitement into your day. 

Monica Higgins: Agencies have always been such an important place for women to grow and build the foundation of their careers, because by nature they are collaborative and inclusive environments. 

In terms of how women can present themselves, I’m constantly trying to make sure that I’m not talking “up” at the end of a sentence. I try to say something that ends more in a statement than a question, because I feel like others can perceive that as a lack of confidence in what it is you’re presenting. 

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That concludes our Women’s History Month interview series with just a few of our agencies inspiring women leaders! Thank you so much to our interviewees for sharing their perspectives and guidance on the complexities of being a woman in the workforce. 

Interested in working with our amazing women leaders or being one yourself? We’re hiring at all levels across PR + marketing disciplines, so check out our open roles and let your career take off! 

 In honor of Women’s History Month, our Women’s Professionals Circle is conducting an interview series highlighting perspectives of some of Matter’s female leaders on the issues and challenges women face in the workplace, in our culture and at home. Check out last week’s conversation on Barriers + Challenges.

This week’s interview focuses on what it’s like to have two full-time jobs: working and parenting. 

Question: What’s been your experience as a working parent?

Question: As a working parent, how do you make sure you’re setting aside time for yourself?

Danielle: I have “Danielle days” sprinkled throughout the year. A Danielle Day is a day off, where my kids have school, and my husband is working. It’s a day to myself where I do whatever I want and have no guilt. It could be as easy as going for a walk, getting a manicure, pedicure, reading a book or just doing nothing. It’s important to reset and refresh every now and then. Then the next day, it’s like a whole new world, and I’m rejuvenated.

Monica: I choose to drive into the office twice a week and my commute is an hour and twenty minutes each way. I come in for several reasons — number one it’s my job as a leader to provide learning opportunities for the people that work with me. Learning through osmosis is the best way to expand your understanding of communications and PR. I believe that being in an office and hearing what other people are doing is so important. Number two, those four to five hours a week in the car are literally my only alone time. Giving myself that alone time to listen to what I want to on the radio or on a podcast and stopping at Starbucks and getting myself a black coffee is my self-care.  

Question: What do you hope your kids learn from having working parents? 

Danielle: The sky’s the limit, so work for it. Earn it. Go for it. If you really want something and you work hard enough for it, it can be yours.

Monica: I try to promote the positive aspects behind financial independence. But number one, for me, is about teaching why responsibility, carrying your own weight and contributing beyond what is expected is so important. I was raised by a single mom who worked three jobs. So, it’s really important for me to pass financial responsibility on to my kids.

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Stay tuned for next week’s talk highlighting more of our female leaders, and their advice and perspective on working in a female-dominated industry.