On Being a 43-year-old “Girl” Speaker in a Male Dominated Industry
Well … this 43-year-old “girl”, professional speaker, digital nomad pioneer, and business owner of 14+ years who presented 5x in 5 days to audiences of 200+ per day … was amused that he would use his stage in this way.
Unprofessional at best.
While I’m not sure who said them, two quotes came to mind for me in that moment:
1.) “You never look good trying to make someone else look bad.”
and,
2.) “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Unlike most other RV trainers and speakers who focus only on the mechanics of things and don’t address the real, practical issues related to RV life, I speak and coach and teach on all the thing … from finances, meals, health, relationships, safety, and so much more.
After I delivered my speech at the Supershow each day, my partner Carl joined me on stage for the Q & A portion and together we answered all kinds of questions:
>> How do you get your mail? >> How long do you generally stay in one place, and why? >> What advice do you have about downsizing? >> Why did you choose the RV you did? … etc…
Another notable difference is that most RV trainers in the industry are gray-haired white men, as was the man who chose to speak about me from his stage.
Thankfully, he of course does not represent all seasoned RV professionals.
Imagine my delight after receiving this today from Dave, the Florida RV Supershow Director who took the risk to have Carl and I as new presenters:
“Tara and Carl bring so much experience and knowledge to living on the road and that really comes across in their seminar. This was the first year we included Nomadic Living as a topic at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, and based on the size of the crowds alone, it was a hit!
Raving evaluation forms show the audience really liked the topic, the information, and the way it was presented. Tara and Carl bring their first-hand knowledge to a lifestyle that many people are interested in as possessions are being scaled back in exchange for life experiences. I recommend including this seminar in your lineup and I look forward to having Tara and Carl return as Supershow presenters in the future.”
~ Dave Kelly, FRVTA Marketing Director
And, oh, we are just getting started….
TALK TO ME:
==> Are YOU a woman in a male-dominated industry?
==> How do you respond when someone uses their “stage” or their “office” or their platform to try to belittle you or make you look bad or incompetent?
==> Are you amused? Are you angry? Perhaps a bit of both?
Want to live and work from anywhere? Grab this free video training where I share the three strategies that will make the transition easy and get you road-ready for the journey of a lifetime! HOW TO GET STARTED WITH NOMADIC LIVING + THREE STRATEGIES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR TRANSITION EASY
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After much thought, preparation, practice and planning, I stood on stage as the only female speaker at the 2019 Florida RV Supershow a few weeks ago, presenting on the topic of Nomadic Living.
Making my way into a male dominated industry has definitely been interesting and, for the most part, it’s honestly been delightful. As a whole, my experience of RV culture has been that it’s full of kind, generous, friendly people.
That said … I had one rather unsavory experience that, I think, is important to share.
On this particular morning, after having presented my Nomadic Living seminar (I had the 10am spot, for 5 consecutive days) I walked into the seminar room, both to hear one of the other seminar speakers present, and to collect any of my remaining flyers while I was there.
As I walked in, the man at the front of the room was talking about ME.
During his introduction, he remarked, “The girl who leads the morning seminar didn’t clean up after herself. There are flyers on your seat that are of no use to you.” <<< word for word.
I was stunned, and a bit irked. But, more than anything, I was amused.
While there were flyers for all kinds of things in the room (mechanical resources, RV tour companies, and the like) he made a point to mention mine – and me.
Well … this 43-year-old “girl”, professional speaker, digital nomad pioneer, and business owner of 14+ years who presented 5x in 5 days to audiences of 200+ per day … was amused that he would use his stage in this way.
Unprofessional at best.
While I’m not sure who said them, two quotes came to mind for me in that moment:
1.) “You never look good trying to make someone else look bad.”
and,
2.) “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Unlike most other RV trainers and speakers who focus only on the mechanics of things and don’t address the real, practical issues related to RV life, I speak and coach and teach on all the thing … from finances, meals, health, relationships, safety, and so much more.
After I delivered my speech at the Supershow each day, my partner Carl joined me on stage for the Q & A portion and together we answered all kinds of questions:
>> How do you get your mail? >> How long do you generally stay in one place, and why? >> What advice do you have about downsizing? >> Why did you choose the RV you did? … etc…
Another notable difference is that most RV trainers in the industry are gray-haired white men, as was the man who chose to speak about me from his stage.
Thankfully, he of course does not represent all seasoned RV professionals.
Imagine my delight after receiving this today from Dave, the Florida RV Supershow Director who took the risk to have Carl and I as new presenters:
“Tara and Carl bring so much experience and knowledge to living on the road and that really comes across in their seminar. This was the first year we included Nomadic Living as a topic at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, and based on the size of the crowds alone, it was a hit!
Raving evaluation forms show the audience really liked the topic, the information, and the way it was presented. Tara and Carl bring their first-hand knowledge to a lifestyle that many people are interested in as possessions are being scaled back in exchange for life experiences. I recommend including this seminar in your lineup and I look forward to having Tara and Carl return as Supershow presenters in the future.”
~ Dave Kelly, FRVTA Marketing Director
And, oh, we are just getting started….
TALK TO ME:
==> Are YOU a woman in a male-dominated industry?
==> How do you respond when someone uses their “stage” or their “office” or their platform to try to belittle you or make you look bad or incompetent?
==> Are you amused? Are you angry? Perhaps a bit of both?
Want to live and work from anywhere? Grab this free video training where I share the three strategies that will make the transition easy and get you road-ready for the journey of a lifetime! HOW TO GET STARTED WITH NOMADIC LIVING + THREE STRATEGIES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR TRANSITION EASY
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
After much thought, preparation, practice and planning, I stood on stage as the only female speaker at the 2019 Florida RV Supershow a few weeks ago, presenting on the topic of Nomadic Living.
Making my way into a male dominated industry has definitely been interesting and, for the most part, it’s honestly been delightful. As a whole, my experience of RV culture has been that it’s full of kind, generous, friendly people.
That said … I had one rather unsavory experience that, I think, is important to share.
On this particular morning, after having presented my Nomadic Living seminar (I had the 10am spot, for 5 consecutive days) I walked into the seminar room, both to hear one of the other seminar speakers present, and to collect any of my remaining flyers while I was there.
As I walked in, the man at the front of the room was talking about ME.
During his introduction, he remarked, “The girl who leads the morning seminar didn’t clean up after herself. There are flyers on your seat that are of no use to you.” <<< word for word.
I was stunned, and a bit irked. But, more than anything, I was amused.
While there were flyers for all kinds of things in the room (mechanical resources, RV tour companies, and the like) he made a point to mention mine – and me.
Well … this 43-year-old “girl”, professional speaker, digital nomad pioneer, and business owner of 14+ years who presented 5x in 5 days to audiences of 200+ per day … was amused that he would use his stage in this way.
Unprofessional at best.
While I’m not sure who said them, two quotes came to mind for me in that moment:
1.) “You never look good trying to make someone else look bad.”
and,
2.) “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Unlike most other RV trainers and speakers who focus only on the mechanics of things and don’t address the real, practical issues related to RV life, I speak and coach and teach on all the thing … from finances, meals, health, relationships, safety, and so much more.
After I delivered my speech at the Supershow each day, my partner Carl joined me on stage for the Q & A portion and together we answered all kinds of questions:
>> How do you get your mail? >> How long do you generally stay in one place, and why? >> What advice do you have about downsizing? >> Why did you choose the RV you did? … etc…
Another notable difference is that most RV trainers in the industry are gray-haired white men, as was the man who chose to speak about me from his stage.
Thankfully, he of course does not represent all seasoned RV professionals.
Imagine my delight after receiving this today from Dave, the Florida RV Supershow Director who took the risk to have Carl and I as new presenters:
“Tara and Carl bring so much experience and knowledge to living on the road and that really comes across in their seminar. This was the first year we included Nomadic Living as a topic at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, and based on the size of the crowds alone, it was a hit!
Raving evaluation forms show the audience really liked the topic, the information, and the way it was presented. Tara and Carl bring their first-hand knowledge to a lifestyle that many people are interested in as possessions are being scaled back in exchange for life experiences. I recommend including this seminar in your lineup and I look forward to having Tara and Carl return as Supershow presenters in the future.”
~ Dave Kelly, FRVTA Marketing Director
And, oh, we are just getting started….
TALK TO ME:
==> Are YOU a woman in a male-dominated industry?
==> How do you respond when someone uses their “stage” or their “office” or their platform to try to belittle you or make you look bad or incompetent?
==> Are you amused? Are you angry? Perhaps a bit of both?
Want to live and work from anywhere? Grab this free video training where I share the three strategies that will make the transition easy and get you road-ready for the journey of a lifetime! HOW TO GET STARTED WITH NOMADIC LIVING + THREE STRATEGIES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR TRANSITION EASY
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