I Attended Selfmade Summit 2023 & Left Feeling Empowered & Inspired

selfmade summit 2023

As women, it's so important to have a community behind us that supports us in our hustle and goal-chasing. After attending Selfmade Summit 2023, I learned that this community not only exists, but it's also even better than I could have imagined. The experience was truly transformative for me and my fellow attendees, as we were reminded of the power we each hold and gained invaluable knowledge and insights from successful women who truly have it all.

At the summit, we were given the opportunity to hear from Brit Morin, the driving force behind Selfmade and founder of Brit + Co! A mother of three and a true self-made entrepreneur, Morin spoke candidly about her journey to success. She shared that she fell in love with technology at just 9 years old (!) and carried that with her throughout her career.

Throughout her conversations with the group, she dropped a number of pieces of wisdom that really stuck with me. Two standout things that she shared were:

  1. Self-made isn't about figuring it on your own.
  2. Women supporting women makes the world a better place.

While being a "girl boss" and trying to climb the ladder of success can feel like an isolating and lonely experience, Morin made sure to remind her listeners that it doesn't have to be. Building your village and then leaning on it is actually one of the best things you can do for yourself and will pay off big time!

This idea is actually reflected through the very essence of Brit + Co, too. She briefly touched on her inspiration for the name, explaining that she wanted it to be a place where "a woman named Brit is teaching you things." but there's also an entire community of women who are there to share their experiences and life learnings as well.

We also had the chance to hear from a special guest, Danyel Surrency Jones. She's the Co-Founder and former CEO of a company called POWERHANDZ, which provides athletic gloves and sports training equipment. She shared her inspiring and remarkable journey and how she leverages technology for her and her company's success. One of my favorite Surrency Jones noted was that we are all "only as strong as the community and network we make," truly bringing everything from the event together.

An extremely impactful part of the day for me was hearing from the Selfmade Pitch Day winners. Their stories of how they applied the principles of business growth and learned from the women who came before them were inspiring to say the very least. They shared practical insights and strategies that felt applicable to my own life and journey and my fellow attendees shared the same sentiment.

Finally, we wrapped up the day with a mini-workshop from Verizon's Small Business Digital Ready program. It was very engaging and gave us all the opportunity to speak up and apply what we had learned that day.

Throughout all of the learnings from this summit, my key takeaway was that success is not a one-woman game. Being willing to put in the time to find a support system and be the support system for others is crucial. As women, we need to be our own biggest allies and build each other up, so that we can all accomplish our goals and pave the way for future generations.

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Header image via Selfmade

The world could use more kindness than we've seen lately because it feels like there's a lot of Mean Girls energy circulating online and in real life — and I don't mean by way of hilarious Tina Fey-written jokes. It's become cool to be disregard everyone else's feelings, but we can hear the cries for kindness behind each snarky attitude we encounter.

Realistically, there's no way we can combat the lack of kindness in the world with quotes, but we're sure these 16 reminders can help us remember to show grace to ourselves and others.

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"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." —Wendy Mass

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"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." —Anne Herbert

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"You can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!" —Anne Frank

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"Deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience." —Evelyn Underhill

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"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace and a soul generated by love." —Coretta Scott King

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"Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary." —J.M. Barrie

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"The words of kindness are more healing to a drooping heart than balm or honey." —Sarah Fielding

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"Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud." —Maya Angelou

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"We are all neighbors. Be kind. Be gentle." — Clemantine Wamaryia

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"You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." —Louise L. Hay

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"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference." —Barbara De Angelis

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"Kindness is always in stock." —Katy Perry

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"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference." —Amelia Earhart

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"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." —Princess Diana

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"Be kind to yourself so that you can be happy enough to be kind to the world." —Misha Collins

If you need help being kinder to yourself, we have 45 self love quotes that'll steer you in the right direction.

Header image via Sophie Mijnlieff

New York City is a home and a hub for celebrities across all industries, and the glitzy appeal of Gossip Girl’s NYC is made all the more glamorous by its numerous celebrity cameos. Given that Blair and Serena run in the upper echelon of the city’s It girls, it actually makes total sense for them to be rubbing shoulders with Alexa Chung and Lady Gaga. You never know who you’re going to run into on the Upper East Side — and in Gossip Girl’s case, you may not even remember half the celebs you meet.

Over the course of six wonderfully melodramatic seasons, Gossip Girl racked up quite a stacked cast list on IMDB. From stars with recurring roles to those who pop in to play themselves for one scene, here are 17 celebrities who appeared on Gossip Girl that you probably forgot about.

Scroll down to see all the celebrity Gossip Girlcameos we're totally obsessed with!

1. William Baldwin

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Serena van der Woodsen’s got some serious daddy issues. One of Gossip Girl’s longest subplots is Serena’s search for her father, who essentially walked out on her when she was a kid. He finally appears for the first time in Season 3 Episode 19 (“Dr. Estrangeloved), where he’s played by a member of one of NYC’s royal families, William Baldwin. (In case you’re wondering, he’s Hailey Bieber’s uncle.)

2. Lady Gaga

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You probably blocked out the time Blair and Dan put on a jukebox version of Snow White at NYU given that the whole ordeal was painfully cringe. That means you probably also blocked out the fact that real-life NYU alum Lady Gaga gives a dead-eyed performance of “Bad Romance” at the end of the episode (Season 3 Episode 10, “The Last Days of Discostick”).

3. Hilary Duff

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Also included in the Season 3 NYU timeline is Hilary Duff as Olivia Burke. Olivia’s a famous actress who balances attending NYU, starring in the vampire romance franchise Endless Knights, and dating Dan. She’s basically the Gossip Girl universe’s hybrid of Kristen Stewart and Emma Watson.

4. Sebastian Stan

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Okay, there’s absolutely no way you forgot this one. Before Sebastian Stan was the MCU’s BB, he was Gossip Girl’s lesser-known CB — Carter Baizen. Stan played St. Jude’s sleaziest graduate and one of Serena’s most questionable exes from Seasons 1 through 3.

5. Karlie Kloss

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Karlie Kloss will always attend a NYFW party — even if that party only exists within Gossip Girl’s Season 4 premiere (“Belles du Jour”).

6. Armie Hammer

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Serena’s dating history includes one man whose bite may be worse than his bark. In Season 2, she starts dating a con man named Gabriel Edwards, played by Armie Hammer.

7. Cyndi Lauper

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Girls just wanna have Cyndi Lauper do a surprise performance at their eighteenth birthday party — at least, Blair Waldorf does. Lauper makes a cameo in Season 2 Episode 10 (“Bonfire of the Vanity”).

8. Tyra Banks

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Tyra Banks plays Ursula, a famous actress who Serena keeps from crashing out at a movie premiere, in Season 3 Episode 4 (“Dan de Fleurette”).

9. Clémence Poésy

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When Chuck goes to France in Season 4 and attempts to restart his life as Henry Prince, he takes Fleur Delacour — err, I mean, Clémence Poésy — along for the ride.

10. Mädchen Amick

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Sorry, Archiekins — Alice Cooper’s got her eye on a different Archibald. Riverdale star Mädchen Amick appears in Season 2 as Nate’s first foray into MILF territory.

11. Elizabeth Hurley

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Mädchen Amick walked so Elizabeth Hurley could run … Nate’s life into the ground. Hurley plays shady media mogul Diana Payne throughout Season 5.

12. Aaron Tveit

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This guest star lives rent-free in Broadway fans’ minds. Aaron Tveit, the patron saint of tenors, appears in Seasons 2 through 5 as Nate’s cousin, politician Tripp van der Bilt.

13. Alexa Chung

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In Season 6 Episode 3 (“Dirty Rotten Scandals”), Alexa Chung, the minimalist darling of the 2010s fashion blogging scene, refuses to walk the runway at Blair Waldorf’s debut fashion show.

14. Rachel Bilson & Kristen Bell

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Rachel Bilson and Kristen Bell show up in the series finale as two actresses auditioning for a role in Inside Out, the movie adaptation of Dan’s bestselling book, Inside. Bell’s voice should ring a bell — she’s the voice ofGossip Girl.

15. Tim Gunn

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Project Runway’s iconic mentor, Tim Gunn gives Jenny a little mentorship in Season 4 Episode 6 (“Easy J”).

16. Rachel Zoe

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Rachel Zoe: celebrity stylist, fashion designer, and extremely good sport. In her GG cameo in Season 4 Episode 7 (“War at the Roses”), Zoe takes a tumble and spills chocolate sauce all over her head before delivering her iconic catchphrase, “I die.” We die, too.

17. Florence Welch

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Welch’s performance of “Cosmic Love” in Season 4 Episode 14 (“Panic Roommate”) was reportedly due to her real-life friendship with Blake Lively. The actress suggested to the producers that they should use Florence’s music in the show. The producers went one step further, and we’re all the better for it.

Wonder what other celebs have appeared in your favorite TV shows? Check out these 24 Sex and the City cameos and 11 Gilmore Girls cameos you may have missed!

No matter whether she's juggling motherhood, a busy career, or a popular book club, Reese Witherspoon seems to know just what to say to encourage others. She's talked about things like parenting and being ambitious, but she's also shared her thoughts on the importance of simply living a good life. It's no wonder her inspirational and wise quotes have been on our minds lately! Here are 14 absolutely quotable moments from our Big Little Liesfave, Reese Witherspoon.

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"One honest voice is louder than a crowd." —Reese Witherspoon

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"It's a great thing, getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I do believe that if you want to change the world, you have to be responsible for it." —Reese Witherspoon

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"Every day you have to choose and cultivate your own happiness." —Reese Witherspoon

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"Spend less time tearing yourself apart, worrying if you're good enough. You are good enough." —Reese Witherspoon

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"There's no bad consequence to loving fully, with all your heart. You always gain by giving love." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I’m just trying to matter and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I've realized that life is too short to spend my time with anybody who doesn't appreciate me, treat me with respect or bring value to the relationship." —Reese Witherspoon

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"Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward." —Reese Witherspoon

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"There’s something timeless and important about making people laugh, about being the right spot in their day." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I’m trying to take the stigma off the word [ambitious] so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that’s how society will change." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I want to make my life, not just my job, the best it can be. The rest will work itself out." —Reese Witherspoon

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"I encourage women to step up. Don’t wait for somebody to ask you." —Reese Witherspoon

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"All we can do to create change is work hard. That’s my advice: Just do what you do well." —Reese Witherspoon

Don't let the hardships of 2024 get you down! Here are 27 happy quotes to keep you stay positive!

Header image via Brit + Co

This weekend, news dropped that Blake Lively filed a bombshell lawsuit against It Ends With Usco-star Justin Baldoni, and everyone is rushing to her support — including her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsco-stars!

One day we need to have a conversation about how easy it is to assign the 'mean girl' role to women like Anne Hathaway, Hailey Bieber, Meghan Markle, and now, Blake Lively. Since that's a separate article, let's focus on the situation at hand. According to Deadline, Lively's suing Baldoni for "sexually harassing her and subsequently enacting 'a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation.'" After the news dropped, The New York Times subsequently published article that details the winding allegations against Baldoni, producer Jamie Heath, and more players in the supposed targeted attack against her.

While a lot of public opinion turned against Lively during the It Ends With Us rollout, it's clear those closest to her showed unyielding support. Now, fellow celebrities are showing up in droves to stand with Lively amid the allegations. One bold show of support that we're totally here for? Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn taking their "sisterhood" to new heights. Here's what they — and everyone else — has said in support of Blake Lively so far.

Scroll down to see everyone who's supported Blake Lively amid the Justin Baldoni lawsuit so far!

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Blake Lively's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Co-Stars

Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, and America Ferrera made it clear that they're firmly in support of their friend Blake Lively. They released a message on Instagram that left no room for assumption about their beliefs following Blake's lawsuit against Baldoni.
The statement reads:
As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation. Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.

We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can still face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe work environment. We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others.

For anyone seeking more information or engaging in this important conversation online, please read the full legal complaint in the investigative reporting by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for the New York Times.

We love the lasting, strong friendship between these four!

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Colleen Hoover, Author of It Ends With Us

According to Entertainment Weekly, Colleen Hoover also spoke up in light of the damage Baldoni inflicted. She tagged Blake via Instagram Stories and wrote, "You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt." A picture of the author and star hugging followed Hoover's words, adding to the depth of the moment.

Paul Feig, Director of A Simple Favor

Director Paul Feig also shared his thoughts about what it's like to work with Blake on X. He said, "I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with. She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this."

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Michael Kors

Robyn Lively, Blake Lively's Sister

The sisterly energy is real and we're so glad Blake is surrounded by it. Robyn, Blake's big sister, shared her full thoughts in a lengthy Instagram caption just 10 hours!

While encouraging people to do research for themselves by reading The New York Times article that details the devious plot to publicly destroy Blake, she had other things to say. "We live in an age where we have access to people’s personal lives like never before — especially actors. It makes us feel like we know them. We see them on social media, watch clips of them, and make snap decisions about their character," she wrote. This reminds me of the parasocial relationships author Amanda Montell detailed in The Age of Magical Overthinking — definitely something for us all to keep in mind.

She also called out how easy it is for the media to warp the public's perception of the truth. "The 'truth' in the tabloids is hardly ever what you think," she added before eventually expressing how "proud" she is that her sister "didn't allow herself to be silenced in the face of adversity and lies."

Bart Johnson, Blake Lively's Brother-in-law

According to Page Six, Blake's brother-in-law Bart Johnson didn't hesitate to share his thoughts about the behavior of Baldoni and his team. He reportedly wrote, "Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him [Baldoni] for a reason." in the comment section of the NYT Instagram post about the lengthy deep dive into what happened.

He continued by writing, "His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played."

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The most important detail about any romantic movie is chemistry between its leads. Even the worst movie can be rescued by two characters you believe actually love each other. But that's not a problem for A24's Babygirl (in theaters December 25) because Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson have chemistry in spades. The new A24 movie follows CEO Romy (Kidman), who begins a torrid affair with a young intern named Samuel (Dickinson). And AMC queen Nicole says she knew Harris was different the moment he walked in the room.

Here's what Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson had to say about their chemistry in our exclusive Babygirl featurette.

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson connected the moment they met.

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"As soon as he walked in, I was like, 'Oh good, here's somebody who's gonna play with me," Nicole Kidman says in our exclusive Babygirl featurette. "We spent a lot of time in bed. Hours would go by, and it was like you would step out of there and you would say, 'What just happened?'"

"From the moment [Samuel] sees her, he's attracted to her. He realizes there's someone at the height of their power," Harris says. "There was an element of mystique that needed to be there for the exploration of the relationship."

Harris continues that "perhaps there's something unfulfilled going on," perhaps referencing Romy's fizzled-out marriage with Jacob, while Nicole adds that "she's searching for something else" as the movie examines "desires, wants, [and] needs."

"Drink it in and be transported," she says.

​And their chemistry in 'Babygirl' was so intense, Nicole Kidman had to take breaks from filming.

In addition to spending "hours" in bed (which, honestly sounds like a pretty good work day to me), Nicole told The Sun in October that filming those scenes with Harris Dickinson became so intense, she would need breaks. “There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more,'” she said. “Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life!”

But having a woman at the helm of the film (writer-director-producer Halina Reijn) both made Nicole feel more comfortable, and empowered her to tell this story. "Doing this subject matter in the hands of the woman that wrote the script, that's directing it and is a really great actress herself — we became one in a weird way, which I'd never had with a director before," she says in a statement. "When you're working with a woman on this subject matter, you can share everything with each other.”

"I really decided in the beginning, I want to make a sexual film, just as sexual as all these films that I've always admired so much," Halina says, "but now I'm going to do it completely through female eyes. What does that mean and what does that look like?” See Babygirl in theaters December 25 to find out.

Here are the 10 New December Movies You Need To Add To Your Calendar ASAP.