Professional Hot Takes: Career Talks + Networking | A YWA Speaks Evening

Four Austin mentors share the career advice they learned the hard way. Ten minutes each, plus a night of networking with women who get it.
About this Event

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you ten years ago?
We asked four Austin mentors that question. Their answers are this event.
Professional Hot Takes is four women from four different industries, ten minutes each, on what their careers actually taught them about work. No panels. No keynotes about finding your why. Opinions: the standard advice they think is flatly wrong, the thing they were certain about that turned out to be off, the decision they'd make differently now.
The talks are the reason to come, but the room is the reason to stay. There's real networking time on both sides of the program, with the speakers in it: women across tech, law, healthcare, finance, nonprofit, and creative work, most of them early to mid-career and building the same thing you are. And if networking usually feels like a chore, this is the easy version. Everyone will be there for the same four talks, so you walk in with something to say.
This is also the night we reintroduce YWA Connect, our signature mentorship program, rebuilt from the ground up. The first cohort is small and closed to our internal leadership team while we get the matching right, so no one is applying that night (unless you are interested in joining). What you can do is see how the program works, meet the mentors behind it, and tell us if you want in on the next round, as a mentee or as a mentor yourself.
You do not need to be a YWA member to come. Plenty of people in the room won't be.
What to Expect
Here's what makes this one different: nobody on stage is here to inspire you. They're here to be useful.
- Four ten-minute talks from four industries, back to back
- Advice you can actually use Monday morning, whatever you do for a living
- Time to meet the speakers before and after, not just watch them
- A first look at YWA Connect, and how to get on the list for the next cohort
- A low-pressure way to meet YWA if you've been curious about membership
- Light bites and drinks while you mingle
Agenda
- 6:30 to 7:00pm: Doors, food, drinks, networking
- 7:00 to 7:15pm: Welcome and an introduction to YWA Connect
- 7:15 to 8:00pm: Professional Hot Takes, four speakers, ten minutes each
- 8:00pm: Open networking and time with the mentors

Additional Details
- Cost: $15 for non-members, free to members
- Who Should Attend: Women in Austin who want real career advice, anyone curious about YWA Connect, and anyone who's ever thought about being a mentor
- Attire: Business casual, or come as you are
- What to Bring: A question you've been sitting on, and a few business cards
- Location: KMFA 89.5, 41 Navasota Street, Austin, TX
- Date: Wednesday, September 16 · 6:30 to 8:00pm
Save Your Spot
We're keeping this one to 50 spots. Secure your seat so you don't miss out!
Come get the advice nobody gave you.
About The Young Women's Alliance
The Young Women's Alliance is a nonprofit devoted to the professional and personal development of women leaders in Central Texas. A staple in the Austin community for more than 30 years, YWA is driven by four pillars: lead, educate, network, and serve.