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“Be Fearless.” While that phrase is capable of representing so much to so many, for women in the workplace – especially in the technology industry – it can be a difficult attitude to adopt. But judging by the overwhelmingly fearless attitudes expressed by so many women during our second @Cisco_WOI “Be Fearless” #CiscoChat, women are growing quite comfortable in continuing their fearless momentum in the workplace.

During the first “Be Fearless” #CiscoChat, more than 100 women shared their thoughts, experiences and feedback on how they’ve embraced living their lives, and pursuing personal and professional dreams by overcoming personal fears. This past Thursday, myself, Cindy Cooley, Chris Herl and Catalina Kowal engaged another group of dynamic women, continuing the conversation around not just being fearless, but maintaining that same spirit and outlying the next steps in the process. The follow-up conversation couldn’t have been timelier, taking place after Cisco’s Women of Impact Conference earlier this month.

So how are women staying inspired and fearless? What messages resonated the most from our Women of Influence conference? We’ve shared a few highlights from our #CiscoChat. We even had participants start the conversation early!

Cisco Chat 1

  1. What was your most memorable highlight from the #BeFearless Women of Influence conference?

The leaders of the Women of Influence Conference touched many of our #CiscoChat participants, full of wise words and poignant observations.

Cisco Chat 2

Cisco Chat 3

  1. What was your “aha” moment when it came to our #BeFearless theme?

Everyone had a different “aha” moment to share and each was amazing in its own right.

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Cisco Chat 5

And for one, the realization of who she’s surrounded by each day was the biggest “aha” of them all.

Cisco Chat 6

  1. How do we keep this #BeFearless momentum going?

The question of the hour garnered a flood of enthusiastic responses, as each participant offered their personal insights as to how women could stay the course of fearlessness.

Cisco Chat 7

Cisco Chat 8

And while women are always in a position to inspire one another, the supportive and influential roles that families and spouses play in their lives are equally important in helping them to be fearless; kudos to the supportive other halves out there!

Cisco Chat 9

Cisco Chat 10

Perhaps it’s all summed up best here:

Cisco Chat 11

  1. What are some of the strategies that you’re planning to apply to your professional lives to stay inspired to #BeFearless?

Now that more women are embracing their fearless attitude, how are they inspired to stay there? Our chat participants shared their real-life solutions, from paying closer attention to personal health to the reliable practice of just trusting their instincts.

Cisco Chat 12

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How are you continuing to #BeFearless proactive in pursuing your interests, passions and career goals? Share what keeps you motivated and join the conversation using #CiscoChat. Learn more about our #CiscoChat program and check out upcoming events at cisco.com/go/ciscochat.

For questions or comments, tweet me @msrehreh and follow us @Cisco_WOI



Authors

Rehana Rehman

No Longer with Cisco