I was invited to Lemon8 and TikTok’s headquarters in New York to celebrate Women’s History Month. Tag along with me!

March comes in like a lion and pretty much stays that way through Aries season. But the most important event of the month is not March Madness, no, it’s the observance of Women’s History Month! This celebration of womanhood highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a Women’s History Month event hosted by Lemon8 at the TikTok headquarters in Times Square.

“Be selfish. The energy you pour into others should equally pour back into you.”

Alexa King, Brand Director at CUUP

First, I’d like to thank Maddy Eischer for the invitation and her continued leadership among the Lemon8 book club! It’s an amazing community I’m fortunate to be a member of. If you’re looking to expand your reading preferences and also read in-depth reviews or your TBR, I highly recommend checking out #lemon8bookclub on Lemon8.

An Itinerary By Women For Women

Back to the event! To celebrate Women’s History Month, Lemon8 brought in a panel of women from various industries, leadership levels. A group of about 75 different women who consistently create content on the Lemon8 platform were invited as attendees. These women spanned age, race, content category, following size, even hometown. I flew to New York from Ohio, but there were women who traveled in from Philadelphia, Washington D.C., even Houston.

Networking started from the moment we exited the elevators at the 57th floor of TikTok’s office and walked into a welcome mixer. After checking in, we congregated in an open floor plan meeting space with drinks and snacks and a shared palpable excitement. The women in attendance could not have been more lovely, kind, and supportive. Before the event began, we brainstormed new content ideas, took pictures together, and shared social media profiles to stay in touch afterwards. Lemon8’s corporate team even mingled amongst the crowd. These women shared their favorite content secrets and what their work life at Lemon8 is like.

Our Intelligent, Inspiring, Gorgeous Panel

After about 30 minutes into the welcome mixer, we moved into the auditorium for the panel. The auditorium overlooks the western side of Manhattan across the Hudson River into New Jersey. There’s even a balcony we could have sat on if the weather was kinder. It was a gorgeous backdrop for the panel. The four panelists truly were Women Who Inspire and exemplified all the traits you’d expect in a celebration of Women’s History Month. The panel included:

• Alexa King – content creator and brand director at CUUP
• Maria Aiello – content creator and founder of Hairday
• Claire Sun – content creator and head of global marketing at Lemon8
• Misook Ji – entrepreneur, design & research leader

The women were asked a series of questions about challenges they’ve faced professionally and how it impacted them personally. They discussed relevant topics like career advancement, starting your own brand, motherhood, and creative inspirations. One of my favorite quotes came from Maria Aiello, cosmetologist and founder of Hairday hair products. When asked about how she grew her brand from scratch using social media, she stated “Think outside the box, and don’t let your brand subscribe to cookie cutter ideas. Don’t follow trends, start one.” It was precisely the message our audience needed to hear. In a room full of content creators, a major struggle is creating community through relatability while being ahead of the curve. It’s a brutal balancing act, but if you truly want to take your personal brand to the next level, vulnerability and putting yourself out there is a key to success.

A Doggie Bag of Advice to Take Home With You

The panel shared so many valuable lessons, which I’ve summarized below:

• Never stop learning, that’s when you stop growing.
• Motherhood is beautiful, challenging, and rewarding, but never let it interfere with your earning potential and your ability to financially provide for your children or on your own.
• Trust your intuition. No one knows you better than you.
• Invest the time in getting to know yourself. If you need help, start with The Five Love Languages or Gallop’s Strengths Finder.
• Following best practice is easy. Defying and establishing a new norm is hard.
• None of us can do it all on our own. Invest in your network. There is no shame in asking for help.
• “Consistency is key” is not a cliche. Stick to it, even when it’s hard.

Applying this New-Found Inspiration

I walked out of the panel with an invigorated sense of creativity and self-worth. As someone who has suffered from imposter syndrome her entire professional career, there was comfort in knowing how many other women struggled with (and overcame!) similar mental hurdles. I wouldn’t wish that doubt on anyone, and yet know how prevalent it was in our new community made it so easy to begin the process of deconstructing those mental walls. I don’t know that I’ll ever fully overcome that mindset, but I now have an even larger community of women who will help get me over the hurdle.

There’s also something extremely rewarding about being in the presence of people who are just better than you at niche topics. It’s like watching professional athletes in a championship game or sitting front row at your favorite band’s concert. To witness the creativity and ingenuity of some of these women has me awestruck. At one point, I think I forgot to blink.

Sitting front row at the event, I was nervous the panel thought I was texting the entire session, but I was trying to capture their inspiring and motivating quotes to share here. My entire perspective on content creation and personal branding shifted. I still have so much to learn about how this all translates through social media and blogging. But I have a renewed vigor to figure it out and run with it. I hope that by sharing this experience with you all, some of this motivation and risk taking will translate off the screen and into your own goals and visions.

Tonight’s Homework: READ MORE WOMEN

And since you know I have to represent the bookish community, I’ll close with the panel’s book recommendations that helped propel them personally and professionally.

“Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey made me laugh out loud. Humor and professionalism are not mutually exclusive.”

Misook Ji, Design Researcher

So now that you’re just as inspired by these amazing women, how will you wrap up your Women’s History Month? What will you do to start your journey to becoming the best version of yourself? If you’re looking for literary inspiration, check out my reading list celebrating Women’s History Month.

“How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen. It offers unconventional advice on how to live a fulfilling life.”

Claire Sun, Head of Global Marketing at Lemon8

So You Want to Start Influencing…

A lot of friends and family have asked how I get invited to events like this, and quite frankly, I have no idea. I have signed up for creator programs and put my name on so many lists, it’s hard to keep track. If you want to get started with content creation and gain access to events like this, I’ve compiled a list of places to get started. Hopefully this helps!

For this particular event, I joined Lemon8 early in their US adoption. Not many people in America were using the app, and I met the right folks purely based on timing. Lemon8 partnered with Palm, a UGC creator platform that connects brands with influencers. I joined last spring, and this opportunity was born from that relationship.

For UGC content creation, check out any of the following platforms:

1. Stack Influence
2. Aspire.io
3. Skeepers
4. Creatorland
5. Rakuten Advertising
6. Impact Affiliate Marketing