Soapbox Women was born in 2013 out of my desperate desire for community among the women in my industry. I was working at the junior level on a very tough team in an even tougher corporate environment. I needed guidance from the women around me who so clearly seemed to have it 'all figured out.'

 

After an evening spent celebrating the year’s most brilliant work created by the most brilliant minds in entertainment marketing (an event I was only given a ticket to attend because someone higher up on the food chain backed out of going), I was finally presented with the opportunity to meet so many women I had come to know intimately through my career – as colleagues and as people. I immediately felt bonded to these women; it’s an incredibly bonding experience to be with someone who just ‘gets’ how you spend 80% of your time. I was overwhelmed. 

 

Why was there not a place/network already in place for us to connect? Why did it take the promise of an open bar and free parking to motivate me to introduce myself in person? I felt so great – so deeply a part of something – that night. How could I feel that way more often? I woke up the next morning and wrote an email to every woman I had ever worked with explaining how desperate I was for us to connect more and why. I needed help. I needed mentorship. Could one of these women relate to what I’m going through and if so, guide me through it? I hoped so. Could we all come together and build a network and see what happens when powerful women unite? Within five minutes of my hitting send, every single recipient of this email responded with a resounding “YES! And whatever you plan, here are five names who will want in, too.” I was blown away. This was lightning in a bottle. This was the beginning of Soapbox.

 

Jennifer Weg

Soapbox Women Founder