Karin Copeland in partnership with Technical.ly, and Generosity presented a conversation with Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and author of the new book, Brave, Not Perfect.

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Inspired by her popular TED Talk, Reshma Saujani, book “Brave, Not Perfect” focuses on the difference between the way boys and girls are raised and how that impacts their potential: In sum, “Boys are taught to be brave, while girls are taught to be perfect.”

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Beth Fizell-Jenkins, Merrill Lynch and Pam Teufel, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System took it in stride that they were wearing similar outfits, with their Black/White House jacket. They got acquainted and sat together for the entire event. Obviously they share a lot of similar attributes.

Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of the Ellevate Network, a 135K-strong global professional women’s network hosted a fireside chat with Reshma Saujani, and discussed her work and how we can look beyond gender norms and rewire our brains to be brave instead of striving for perfection.

Saujani’s message is that by teaching girls from a young age to be perfect (while boys are taught to be brave), we send them forward in life with unrealistic expectations. Afraid to fail, women are less likely to take chances, preferring the path that is safe. Saujani argues that this stems from parents rewarding girls for being quiet and polite while boys are encouraged to speak up, get dirty and take risks. We need to encourage young girls to be adventurous, to get dirty and we need to be fine with it.

There was also a panel discussion on how women are perceived in society with notable speakers in the field:
Tracey Welson-Rossman, Chariot Solutions and TechGirlz.org,
Natalie Egan, Translator LLC , and
David Dylan Thomas, Think Company and Cognitive Bias Podcast

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Inspired by her popular TED Talk, the book focuses on the difference between the way boys and girls are raised and how that impacts their potential: In sum, “Boys are taught to be brave, while girls are taught to be perfect.”

After the chit chat there was a meet and greet with Reshma Saujani where she signed books and posed for photos. Check out more coverage at Technical.ly Philly and Philly Style Magazine.