Knowing your value is an ongoing journey. But it’s important to celebrate the self-defining moments when we stand up, take charge and truly shine.
“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski, "TODAY" and "Access Hollywood" anchor Natalie Morales and BBC News’ Katty Kay shared their most memorable accomplishments as part of Clear Eyes’ #MyShiningMoment confidence-boosting, on-site event initiative.
The campaign, which launched last year, asks people of all backgrounds to share important moments in their business or personal lives. Clear Eyes was one of the sponsors at the annual Know Your Value event on Dec. 1 in San Francisco, where speakers, including Sen. Kamala Harris of California and actress Mira Sorvino discussed everything from negotiating in the workplace, to personal finance, health and wellness.
Brzezinski recounted the moment that prompted her to write the book, “Knowing your value: Women, money and getting what you’re worth.”
“It was the moment when I finally got my raise that brought me equity with my co-host and my team at ‘Morning Joe,’” she said. “I walked into my boss’s office and just let it rip.”
Brzezinski said she was “awkward and clunky ... but authentically me” when she explained to her boss that the situation was like a bad boyfriend: You do all the work and put in the time, but he never marries you. “We’ve got to change this relationship, or it’s over tomorrow,” she said. And she got her raise.
For Morales, every experience reporting big breaking news has been a shining moment. But one of the most special was her coverage of the 2010 rescue of trapped Chilean miners; Morales spent two weeks in the desert with the workers’ families.
“It was just such a story of human survival, accomplishment against all odds, the sacrifices that were made,” she said. Morales, who speaks Spanish, was able to “bond and connect with many of the families. Being able and tell the stories from such a personal perspective, I think it differentiated my reporting from other reporters in the field. And to this day it’s one of the stories I’m most proud of.”
And Kay’s shining moment came in 2016, when BBC asked her to anchor coverage of the pivotal U.S. presidential election. “I was terrified,” she said. But “from the moment we started that program, to the moment we stepped off air seven hours later, I just knew that I’d got it right.”
Kay said she “was delivering it in a way that commanded authority, that showed people the wealth of my experience.... I thought, OK, I’ve got this. I’m the top of my game, and I’m really pleased with what I’m doing.”
Many other speakers and attendees shared their #MyShiningMoment during Know Your Value conference. As part of the campaign, Bridges Aderhold — who has photographed more than 14,000 people’s eyes — also shot eye portraits of attendees.
Shining moments also served as a conversation starter to help women meet each other during a networking lunch sponsored by Clear Eyes. It was part of our wider goal to make the Know Your Value conference a space to recognize and champion the shining moments within ourselves and our fellow women.