We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Rohrer-Phillips a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

Like so many business owners, COVID forced me to change my entire business model. Prior to COVID, I had produced 13 live Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit events in Sarasota, FL serving thousands of women from SW Florida and beyond. The momentum and growth was trending in the right direction to increase the size and scope of our VVWS live event platform. Due to COVID, however, the live event industry was completely shut down. My choice was to either collapse the Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit, or imagine a new, innovative way to share the power of women’s stories and elevate diverse female leadership. As data reveals, women were disproportionately overwhelmed during COVID due to the challenges of managing their parenting, household and professional obligations and family health through the pandemic. I decided there was no way I could abandon this mission as I felt this overwhelm myself. I chose to embrace technology and the power of film to stay true to our VVWS mission: empowering women, expanding networks, and elevating the voices of diverse women. I’m proud to share we produced two virtual VVWS events in 2021 and 2022 serving over 2500 remote guests! Going forward, I’ll be focusing more on film and media projects and public-private partnerships that are committed to gender equality.

Shannon , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in French and Sociology from Colgate University, and my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Smith College, I moved to Washington DC. My early career was spent entirely in trauma social work and community advocacy. I spent over 20 years working with clients in medical, educational and non profits settings. Through this experience, I saw first hand the immense disparities in resources and outcomes for women and communities of color. I have always been fascinated with strategies that can provide solutions to level the playing field, particularly for those who have been marginalized. I believe in the power of the intersection of media, philanthropy and private sector initiatives to create positive social change. After having my two sons, I left the “front lines” of social work and advocacy and transitioned more to non profit administration, fundraising and media initiatives. My entire career I witnessed highly capable and competent female leaders (including myself) experiencing gender discrimination, low pay and devaluation. I decided to create the Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit Platform to inspire all women and supporters of equality, to commit to a relentless pursuit of elevating female leadership: socially, economically, and in our hearts and homes!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have had to unlearn this lesson “passion for your mission will ensure your success. “Regrettably, this is not true. I learned through COVID and running my own business, your financial strategy is the most critical component to your business survival and success. Dedicating time to your business model, financial forecasting and making difficult decisions so the “math works” must be your top priority. For many women, myself included, we often don’t charge enough for our time and services and focus on profitablity. After enduring two challenging years in business, I have now flipped that reality by increasing my rates and becoming more selective with who I work with and for.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

My favorite book and business mentor is Nely Galan. Her book “Self Made” is a must read for all women! I had the privilege of working with Nely as she was a Keynote speaker at our 2020 Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit live event. Her philosophy is spot on with Nelyisms like: To change the world, you have to be louder, braver and speak up!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.voiceandvisibilitywomenssummit.com
• Instagram: @vvwsummit
• Facebook: Voice + Visibility Women’s Summit
• Linkedin: Shannon Rohrer-Phillips
• Twitter: @srpllc1
• Youtube: Shannon Rohrer-Phillips

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Dan Perales (photo 1 Blue door)