My Bloomfest 2022 experience
Last week I joined over 300 women (and some men!) at BloomFest 2022 for an incredibly inspiring, uplifting and emotional day. This year’s theme was – Let’s Talk About: The F Word.
The day started with our keynote speaker, Jaz Ampaw-Farr. To say she blew the audience away is an understatement. She reminded us all to “Live life as the human you were designed to be, rather than the woman the world said you had to be”. She then asked us all to start being just 10% braver, because “being fearless, means fearing less”.
Next up were a series of powerful panels looking at Feminism, Allyship and the Anti-Ageing Taboo. In The Fight Back the panellists talked about reframing Feminism to include all women so we can pull together as one. I took a moment to check my privilege and examine my biases to see how I’ve internalised different tropes and where I might be making assumptions that cause division, because after all, “Division is a strategy to make money”.
The Allyship panel talked about us all being allies in our own way, and that it’s a still conscious decision to educate yourself on what you are supporting. In a room packed with women, male allyship was often called out as vital to bridging the gender gap. It was so great to see the men in the room keen to proactively act as better allies, rather than relying on women or marginalised groups to coach them. We also had a workshop, The Swan, led by Sara Tate reminding us to identify the vital elements in our day, life and work that keep us sane, secure and happy, whatever they may be.
As we began the afternoon sessions, Bruce Daisley busted many myths about Resilience. As someone who’s been asked to complete resilience training, and told in the middle of extreme, debilitating burnout to “just be more resilient”, this struck a massive chord with me. It was amazing to realise that the empty words about resilience are designed to silence or control us, and we don’t have to put up with it. Together we can wave goodbye to the misconception that it’s something we can build or work on when really “Resilience is the strength we draw from each other” and that is certainly something we can all work on and benefit from.
The next panel of the day – The Climb – looked at ambition, legacy and how to find self-worth from your job. Flavilla Fongang said something I think we could all do with being made into a coaster:
“We are more than our jobs, so to consider ambition through only that lens is selling ourselves short”.
The dangers of an “up or out” culture were discussed, where without constantly climbing the ladder women can be regarded as lazy or incompetent, when in fact they are amazing at what they do.
For my afternoon breakout, I chose The Gravitas Gap workshop with Amy Kean and Nicola Kemp. As did dozens of other attendees, it was standing room only! Amy & Nicola led a joyous, frank workshop on the power of voices, and reframing gravitas as grit. I later heard The Big O panel in the room next door was a highlight of the day for many Bloomers: a rare chance to talk about female sexual pleasure aloud among like-minded women.
Next up was a fireside chat with Baroness Helen Newlove, whose story of finding her voice and power after a horrific tragedy left me feeling inspired to take action. She encouraged us to find time to nurture and lean into our power, because it shouldn’t take trauma to unlock it. Unfortunately, the legendary Booth of Truth reminded us that trauma is still an all too real challenge for many women in the workplace today. Stories were shared about sexual harassment, workplace bullying, fighting for pay rises, and a lack of allies for women in the industry. I still have one quote ringing in my ears, from a woman who on her first day at a new job heard her boss loudly announce to the whole table “Tell the smart girls they’re pretty and tell the pretty girls they’re smart”. I am thankfully seldom privy to these kinds of comments in my own job, but I need regularly reminding that is still happening so that I can stay f*cking angry, be an ally with them and help do something about it.
Closing out the day was Esther Manito, who had everyone fighting for breath with her incisive, funny observations about motherhood, marriage (poor “kind-regards-Neil”) and life in a male-dominated industry. It was the perfect way to end a thought-provoking, often challenging day, which has given us all so much content and inspiration to keep on thinking and acting beyond Bloomfest.
The palpable buzz in the room throughout the day was electric, and the animated conversations between new friends and acquaintances over delicious cocktails got so loud the poor barman could barely hear our orders. It was the kind of day you wish could happen more often – one that left me energised and ready to change the world.
We were promised a ‘full day of everything Bloom stands for’ - providing support, driving change, building connections, and having fun and we were not disappointed. As Bloomfest ended for another year, we were encouraged to identify those ‘everyday actions’ that we can all put in place to help make our industry a more diverse and equal place to work. Thanks Bloomfest2022.
Thanks Bloom.
Written by Laura Collins, Managing Partner - Media Excellence Omnicom Media Group