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“If you have a vision, you have a passion,” so present it, said Brandis Russell, VP of Global Footwear at Converse, who recently attended FN’s Women Who Rock event in New York City. These were just a few of the inspiring words shared by top shoe industry leaders in June 2019.

As part of a series of stories and conversations around women in the workplace, we brought together some of the top female leaders in shoes, including Russell and Molly Adams, President, Famous Footwear; Angela Medlin, Founder of the Functional Apparel & Accessories Studio; Joëlle Grunberg, President & CEO of Lacoste North and Central America; Kirta Carroll, VP, North America, GMM at Foot Locker; and Dr. Valerie Steele, Director of the Museum at FIT.

For many of the women on the panel, juggling motherhood and career was a big issue they’ve faced in their lives. “I’ve always heard of this idea of balance and this notion of having it all. And it took me — he’s about to be 10 — 10 years out to realize that balance is not an accurate assessment. Balance almost sort of projects that everything is equal parts. It won’t be. There are some times where you will have to fill one cup up more than another.”

Watch the clip above to hear more of the conversation.

‘Women Who Rock’ Event Brings Out Shoe Leaders to Discuss Female Empowerment, Entrepreneurship

Exclusive: Tory Burch on Embracing Ambition & Leading a Powerhouse Brand in Disruptive Times

Tory Burch on the Power & Perils of Social Media + the Sneaker Boom

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