With the August long weekend officially behind us, now is about the time of year where I start to look ahead to the fall. I know summer isn’t over – and I really do try to stay in the moment, relishing every last bit of summer sun – but I can’t help it. Fall is one of my favourite seasons: sweater weather; fresh starts; the Forest City bursting with colour as the leaves change. I usually plan a trip for the fall, maybe as a way to get myself through the denial that summer is ending and winter is on it’s way, maybe because it’s a great time of year to travel to almost anywhere in the world. Maybe a bit of both.
This year, I have another big reason to look forward to the fall. Lerners’ fourth annual Women’s Symposium is on October 29, 2019. Anyone who has been to this event in the past can tell you that it isn’t one to miss. It’s an inclusive, engaging, and empowering forum for professionals to gather to discuss issues and ideas affecting women in the workplace and beyond. Last year’s speaker, Danielle Robitaille, enlightened us with her insights about passion and the “false idol” of balance.
The Organizing Committee, lead by event Co-Founders and Co-Chairs Yola Ventresca and Alysia Christiaen, are so pleased to announce that Dr. Julie McCarthy will be our speaker for the Women’s Symposium this year. Dr. McCarthy is a Full Professor of Organizational Behaviour and HR Management at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Dr. McCarthy studies workplace stress, resilience, and performance management, among other fascinating topics.
Dr. McCarthy is going to speak to us about resilience, a personality trait and skill that impacts all aspects of our everyday lives. A person’s level of resilience affects their health, productivity and engagement, job performance, and leadership abilities, and is central to personal and professional satisfaction. Dr. McCarthy will lead us through a series of exercises from her resilience workshop aimed at helping us develop strategies to build resilience and achieve success and fulfillment at work and at home.
Record levels of burnout, stress-related illnesses, disengagement, and mental health issues abound in today’s professional landscapes. Important discussions about these issues are have started to take place, a critical first step in shifting them from “taboo” to something that employers and employees alike want to address and tackle head-on. The next step is to take action. Our hope is that the 2019 Lerners’ Women’s Symposium sparks a discussion that reverberates through the community and leaves participants with practical insights and skills that will improve their personal and professional well-being.
Details about registering for the 2019 Lerners Women’s Symposium will follow. Please click here if you would like to be notified when registration opens.
