Live Lessons: Advice with Hindsight

Mar 30, 2023

Welcome to Pass the Mic and the Live Lessons series. Life happens in the moment—and so do opportunities to pass the mic. We’re having live conversations with powerful female leaders, giving them the opportunity to share their wisdom and mentor the masses.

This month, we hosted a live Pass the Mic panel at the Wavemaker office in New York. In this fourth installment of our miniseries featuring the women of Wavemaker, we captured some kickass audio from some amazing women in the industry.

Want to know a secret? Even the most badass women on the planet struggle. The road to success is rarely smooth, and most hit a bump or pothole on the ride. In this one, we asked the panel to take a look in their rearview and give some advice to their younger selves. The bad news: time travel isn’t a thing (yet). The good news: you can press play and benefit right now.

Don’t be silent.

Advice, Jenna Fidellow – Pass the Mic

Highlight: “Don't be silent. Ask the question. Speak up. It doesn't matter what level you are at; you're in the room for a reason. You have a role to play, and you have a contribution to make. And don't be scared. Speak up. Ask the question. Raise your hand.” – Jenna Fidellow, Head of Content Wavemaker US

Be your authentic self.

Advice, Madison Bedard – Pass the Mic

Highlight: “I always tried to be who I believe they wanted me to be. And I believe that had I been myself and showed who that person was earlier, my career might have been where I wanted it to be sooner.” – Madison Bedard, Director, DEI and Marketing Operations Wavemaker US

Have fun on the journey.

Advice, Caroline Tran – Pass the Mic

Highlight: "Have fun on the journey. I think we get stuck on trying to impress people. And you go back to being authentic, but it's just as much as learning on the journey and having fun as it is the outcome.” – Caroline Tran, Group Director, DoorDash Wavemaker US & Global Markets

You’re going to mess up.

Advice, Briana Finelli – Pass the Mic

Highlight: “When you mess up, not if, but when you mess up, people may use that to make you feel like you don't deserve to be here. They're going to use that as though you did all of these great things, but you messed up. And when you mess up, you own that you messed up, and then you just you pack it, and you move on. You messed up, you make it better, you move on.” – Briana Finelli, Head of Commerce Wavemaker US

Build your own table.

Advice, Davida Arnold – Pass the Mic

Highlight: “Sometimes the table is not the one you want to sit at. You're going to have to build your own. And when you build your own, you're going to find people that are going to help you build it. And that new table is going to be very different than the one that you thought you even wanted a seat at. And when you build that new table, remember every single person who helped you build it.” – Davida Arnold, Group Director, Marketing & Communications Wavemaker US

Ready for More Advice?

When it comes to successful women, there’s no shortage of wise words. And these Wavemaker panelist have way more to share. Check out the rest of the series now. And in the near future, we’ll include more in the Pass the Mic podcast.

More from the Wavemaker Pass the Mic Panel

A special thanks to JulieAnne Evanina, VP Brand and Consumer Marketing, SiriusXM + Pandora for moderating the Pass the Mic panel at Wavemaker.