(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- Ten prominent women leaders gathered at Bonjour Girls ' annual "Roses & Planets" summit on November 16 to share hard-won insights on navigating career transitions, building influence, and redefining success on their own terms. The speakers, representing industries from finance and venture capital to creative entrepreneurship, global advocacy, and culinary arts, offered a roadmap for professional women facing today's unique challenges – from AI disruption to work-life integration to breaking through glass ceilings in traditional industries.

Breaking the Mold
Several speakers discussed the courage required to deviate from expected career trajectories. Chloe, known to her 240,000 followers as "神奇米米," shared her decision to leave finance for culinary school.

"People asked if I was crazy," Chloe reflected. "But the real question became: was I willing to spend my life doing something that looked right to everyone else but felt wrong to me? True growth isn't the moment of blooming – it's every time your roots extend in the dark when no one's watching."

Michelle Wang, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Lair East Labs, described her transition from nine years at Big Four accounting firms to venture capital. "In accounting, you're trained to find problems and minimize risk. In venture capital, you're looking for possibilities and betting on potential. Learning to see opportunity where I was trained to see risk – that was the real pivot."

AI, Creativity, and the Future of Work
YouMe Lin, Founder & CEO of Cloud Studio and Fast Company Workplace Innovator, addressed how AI is reshaping creative industries.

"The question isn't whether AI will change how we work – it already has," Lin stated. "The question is: what becomes more valuable when AI can do what we used to do? I believe it's our ability to hold paradox, to connect disparate ideas, to bring humanity to technology. That's not something you can automate."

Building Influence in Male-Dominated Spaces
Autumn Huang, Vice President at Goldman Sachs and recipient of the Women's Bond Club Rising Star Award, addressed strategies for thriving in finance.

"Early in my career at Goldman Sachs, I noticed I was often the only woman in the room," Huang shared. "I had a choice: try to blend in or lean into what made me different. I chose the latter. Over time, that became my value proposition – not despite being different, but because of it."

Hui Zeng, Senior Partner at Zeng Law Group and Super Lawyers Rising Star (an honor held by only 2.5% of attorneys), echoed similar themes. "The clients who become your strongest advocates are often the ones who appreciate what makes you different – whether that's cultural insight, communication style, or approach to problem-solving."

Cross-Industry Insights
Vanessa Liu, Business Development Director at Temu with nearly 20 years at Procter & Gamble, LVMH, Estée Lauder, and TikTok, offered a perspective on corporate transitions. "Each company taught me something essential. Your career isn't a ladder – it's a portfolio of capabilities you're constantly expanding."

Key Takeaways
Across all discussions, several themes emerged:
Embrace Non-Linear Paths: Career pivots aren't failures – they're data points in understanding what you're building toward
Develop Your Unique Value Proposition: In competitive fields, differentiation matters more than conformity
Build Bridges, Not Walls: The ability to connect disparate worlds is increasingly valuable
Reframe "Balance" as "Integration": Stop seeking perfect equilibrium; start seeking meaningful presence

The "Roses & Planets" framework offered a metaphor attendees found particularly useful: the rose representing inward self-knowledge and resilience, the planet representing outward exploration and risk-taking.

As Claire Bai, Bonjour Girls Founder noted: "You don't have to choose between being rooted and being in motion. The strongest growth happens when you're both."

The summit drew over 260 attendees from across the tri-state area. Bonjour Girls will release a podcast series featuring extended conversations with summit speakers in the coming weeks.

About Bonjour Girls
Bonjour Girls is a New York-based women's community dedicated to empowerment and growth. Through meaningful events, authentic dialogue, and genuine connections, Bonjour Girls creates spaces where global Asian women can support each other's journeys.

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