A recent TEDx event stands out as markedly different from the usual fare. It was the inaugural year for a female-only panel of speakers at a TEDx event, making it a unique forum that provided a platform for women to speak and collaborate. The topic for this year’s talks was “Civitas,” meaning citizenship and a sense of community, a choice intended to showcase the shared experiences of women in society.
Tina Walczak, Chief Design Officer at Hiilite and Vice President of Kelowna Women in Business, spoke about the need to develop networks for creative individuals, and to empower women simultaneously. “I think it’s our job as a community to forge the next generation of female leaders,” she began her talk.
During her speech, Tina explained three steps that can motivate and empower communities: “reach out,” “participate,” and “invite people into your community”. Tina encouraged audience members to foster their own communities and to support the individuals who reach out to them, asking the crowd to take out their phones and make contact with someone who they find inspiring.
Drawing attention to the challenges of, often introverted, creative types, Tina addressed the fears inherent to building a network. “We have this thing called ‘imposter syndrome’ where we think we’re never good enough and that is a really hard place to be, and, I hate to say it, but it never goes away,” she said.
Tina concluded her talk by contextualizing the power of community building: “social psychologists have found that people who join communities, whether it’s offline or online, have better defined self-identities, values, and beliefs. And if you get an opportunity to help someone, how powerful is that? Do that.”
There was one last step that Tina offered at the end of her talk: “Repeat.”
Tina Walczak is the Chief Design Officer at Hiilite, and the Vice President of Kelowna Women in Business. Tina beautifully combines her passion for design with keen business focus. Creating innovative and detailed work that pushes boundaries, Tina is committed to producing strong brands for clients that accurately captures their overall business strategy. Her credentials speak for themselves, but Tina craves challenge and never lets herself get too comfortable.
Tina admires people and invests in those who are willing to take risks to see their businesses and design careers grow. At Hiilite, Tina drives the creative team in bringing high quality design and inspiration to businesses of all sizes. Her hope is that Hiilite will be the launch pad for the success of both our clients and our team. Be sure to check out their work at hiilite.com
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You can view the TEDx talk in its entirety below.
