Women in Tech Regatta 2020 Virtual - Amsterdam/EMEA edition

Finding balance and creating mindful strategies to build positive wellbeing and avoid stress and burnout.

When someone is ambitiously navigating their career they inevitability deal with a certain level of stress and demand on their time as they are surrounded by a swirling sea of 24/7 connectivity, making it difficult to navigate balance in their professional and personal lives. How can we protect ourselves from drowning in the turbulent waters of stress and anxiety? In this session participants will learn tips and techniques to help weather the storm and create a more balanced life by creating boundaries and developing their own self-care as a priority to set themselves up to thrive.

Does this sound familiar? “You’re not good enough.” “It is only a matter of time until they find you out.”  “You don’t know what you’re doing.” “You’ll never be as good as her/him/them.” “You don’t belong here.”  “You don’t deserve this.” 

This ugly voice is the saboteur inside your head. The one that fuels our Imposter Syndrome. The sad truth is that nearly EVERYONE has this voice in their heads. The even sadder truth is that we still believe it is only us. Don’t believe the hype! After this session you will be able to better identify your imposter syndrome/saboteur voice and learn ways to build your confidence, validate your efforts, and finally truly believe you belong.

Join our kick off MotherSHIP event - Hack the Regatta & Connection Cafe. Set your intentions for the next week, and connect with like minded attendees. We'll show you why we believe that "relationships are true currency" and how to manifest your dream of walking out of this year's conference with your new best friend or new boss!

Thought leaders are the opinion leaders and the go-to people in their field of expertise. They’re trusted sources who move and inspire people with innovative ideas; turn ideas into reality, and show how to replicate their success. Who are the women leaders hugely inspiring men and the world today, and how are they doing it? How can we raise up many more women as thought leaders?

This panel is dedicated to women of color in our tech community. Diversity initiatives vary from company to company and can take on many shapes depending on a company's size or age. Some women exist as the sole representation at their company and others can connect with large ERGs and networks. Hear these women's stories, their hopes for the future, and their ideas of how diversity programs and leadership could truly make a difference in our organizations no matter the size.

Like Hamilton said, you want to be in the room where it happens!  Now that you’ve got/earned/taken your seat at the table, you’ll be influencing decisions from the top, driving the business forward, and raising the visibility of your team.
So, how do you navigate your position to advance yourself while also reaching back to lift others?

Some of the topics we’ll tackle:

• Growing your career as a leader
• Using strategic storytelling to elevate your visibility and impact
• Navigating imposter syndrome without skipping a beat
• Rising together by attracting and retaining diversity at the team level

How do you prepare kids and adults for our world of constant and rapid technological innovation? What education, training and exposure to technology do we need to survive and thrive? There is no standard answer. In today's world, education comes in many flavours: from school curriculum to extracurricular activities, the stories we tell children, and the things we teach ourselves in our free time. During this panel, we'll hear from a selection of people who represent the different flavours to tech education and and prove there are many ways to tech if you just start.

As the song says, Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. The core principle of the WiT Regatta is to authentically establish, build, and cultivate your relationships toward greater purpose. Meeting new people is important but, who is already in your treasure chest? During this session learn how to identify and genuinely reengage with the goldmine that is your established network.

True Allyship is not defined by intent, but by impact. The question to ask yourself is: How do I ensure that I'm having the impact of an ally? Join us for a lively discussion about this leading question as we dive into the concept of privilege, our unconscious biases, and why intent can only go so far. Our panelists will share their experiences, the barriers they've faced and overcome while imparting valuable advice on how you can act with impact as an ally every day, in the workplace and beyond.

Artificial intelligence is often billed as the answer to debiasing decision making. Human biases are deeply anchored, most often unnoticed, and reflected in the behaviour that generates data. AI can amplify these biases and patterns, and in some cases even expand the problems in new ways. At best, AI might be able to introduce some degree of objectivity; but to do so, the people writing the code must be aware of and wrestle with biases. This panel discusses strategies and methodologies for navigating these challenges.

As Ret. Brigadier General Becky Halstead wrote, “the first person you must lead is you.” As a team leader, your people will adopt your style. What example are you setting? Self-reflection, humility, and continuous learning are necessary to continue to grow and lead successful teams. Join this panel discussion to learn how to continuously deepen your self-awareness, humbly receive feedback, and pass this knowledge on to your teams.

After an energy-filled week of connections, storytelling, mentorship and idea-sharing, it's time to take it all in and chillax! This is not the end, but rather the beginning of the next chapter for you as we hope you have gained more connections, mentors and friendships.

WHAT IS A CO-STORM?The CO-STORM™ is a think tank designed to be your personal board of directors for life and work.
The concept behind the CO-STORM is about how much we’re able to see for each other that we don’t see for ourselves.
Fresh eyes see our blind spots and filters. They also mirror back to us what’s really going on. There’s a creative back and forth energy in getting outside your own head. A CO-STORMER’S insight can clarify what steps to take next, highlight your strengths, and make you pay attention to what should happen naturally.
WHAT THE SESSION LOOKS LIKEWe start the session with an introduction to CO-STORMING, instructions, and an overview of our time together. Then we pair you off in groups of three or four. Your group will go off for a 90 minute CO-STORM session. During this session, each participant will have time for an introduction and a chance to discuss their most pressing pain point, project or idea. Your CO-STORM partners will brainstorm with you on solutions. At the end, we will gather together and recap.
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?Bring your challenges, ideas, prototypes…or just an empty notebook and get ready to take the next step.
You will get new perspectives and confidence to move forward with your project, which might mean ditching plans and going in a totally different direction. No matter the outcome, I guarantee you will already be taking steps in the right direction.
I truly believe we’ve got great energy going in our community you’re not going to find anywhere else…hitch a ride on that energy!
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

• Want to change careers but don’t know where to start?
• What’s keeping you up at night?
• I have been helping others all my life, it’s time for me now, what should i do?
• How can I be more creative at work, when I’m not the one calling the shots?
• How can I refine and tell my story?
• Fleshing out a side hustle/passion project.
• How are you unique – what sets you apart?
• Have you hit a serious plateau?

Download the Co-Storm guide to get you started.