PHMers “Make Moves” with Women Who Create

Nika Chugh, Senior Associate, Communications & Marketing

Embracing obstacles as a form of career advancement. Learning how to manage finances. How not thinking about your “dream job” might actually get you one. These were just a few of the topics covered by Women Who Create — the only mentorship program built by women of color for women of color in creative industries who presented Make Moves, a virtual summit focused on empowering and elevating women of color through content sessions and networking opportunities.

Make Moves touched on topics of planning for your future financially, setting boundaries at work, leading with empathy and how to tackle imposter syndrome. I attended this conference to represent PHM, and was joined by Samantha Dunn, HR Generalist at PHM.

Samantha and I sat down to chat about our experiences at Make Moves and what we learned.

Nika Chugh: Samantha, what were your overall impressions of the event?

Samantha Dunn: What struck me the most about the event is how transparent every speaker was. It was great to have a moment of honesty within our community about the struggles and obstacles we face — but more importantly, about the ways we can work together to overcome.

NC: I agree, the transparency was refreshing. I also appreciated how the sessions focused on personal development holistically, not just professionally. We heard about how to take control of our financial futures by focusing on long term, stable investments. We also heard about how to easily fit meditation into our lives, by learning how to take five minutes to reframe our mindset with positive affirmations. Do you have any other takeaways?

SD: In “The ‘Dream Job’”, the panelists discussed how the pressure to find a dream job shouldn’t be the focus, and instead should be on finding the opportunities and career paths that work for us at this moment in time. I am relatively new to the corporate HR space, and this really resonated with me as I am making this career shift.

NC: Absolutely. In the session, “Step Into Your Power,” they touched on how you shouldn’t run from a problem, but instead, run towards an opportunity. This really shifted my mindset for my future, since I tend to focus on reducing obstacles, rather than embracing them as part of my career development. Focusing on the opportunities instead of obstacles is a thought process I had not considered before. What was your favorite session?

SD: I really enjoyed “Bound to My Boundaries” with Reema Elghossain, Yasmin Naaman and Mary Gutierrez. Early in our careers, we want to say yes to everything and seem eager so that we will be seen as competent employees. Hearing that setting boundaries is crucial to success was very validating. The tips that the speakers gave for doing so, like communicating your needs to your manager and making your boundaries known, were very helpful.

NC: My favorite was “Leading with Empathy,” with Shaunah Margaret in conversation with Adan Romero. Adan was very upfront and honest about how he approaches leadership, and how he makes celebrating his employees a priority. We don’t always get the chance to see the behind-the-scenes of how leaders think, and I felt it was an invaluable look into how we can interact with our management teams. 

NC: This conference was focused on helping young women of color develop their careers. How did you end up deciding on your career path?

SD: Where I grew up, no one talked about being in Human Resources. A cop, a teacher, an accountant – these were the jobs that people had in my neighborhood. While those are admirable career paths, they weren’t for me. Being exposed to different careers helped me find my passion for HR.

NC: I knew I wanted to work in marketing and communications after I took a marketing class in high school. Up until that point, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer – mostly because I liked to talk and loved the television show, How to Get Away with Murder. Being in that class gave me a path that I didn’t see before. None of my family members worked in a creative field so I had to forge that path on my own.

Too often in the workplace, we feel the pressure to conform to the majority, instead of embrace our differences. Having the opportunity to connect with other young people of color who feel the same things I feel, and know the same things I know – that is always precious and needed more and more. Make Moves was exactly what I needed to be reminded that my diversity makes me better at my job – not just different.

Connect with Nika and Samantha on LinkedIn.

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