Passion and Power: 4 Boss Ladies Share Their Best Career Advice

Will Ragozzino
Will Ragozzino

As a spectacular sunset cast rich apricot and raspberry hues across the Manhattan sky, over 250 POPSUGAR fans gathered inside to absorb some seriously inspiring career-based wisdom from four ultrasuccessful women who have been there, conquered that, and lived to tell the epic tales.

In celebration of POPSUGAR founder and President Lisa Sugar's new book, Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice, and Build Your Dream Life, a panel of boss ladies doled out nuggets of honesty and humor, with Lisa kicking things off by explaining the history of POPSUGAR and just what the heck "power your happy" is all about.

With the purchase of a ticket, every guest received a copy of the book and a Must Have box featuring goodies hand-picked by Lisa herself. After the panel discussion, guests mingled on the rooftop terrace, 'gramming the gorgeous, dusky skyline and sipping on glasses of bubbly supplied by Chandon. Nab tickets for the upcoming San Francisco event here, and keep checking back to find information for other PYH events coming to a city near you!

So what did these powerful women have to say about finding their happy? Read on for highlights from the NYC event!

Meet the Panelists (from L-R)

Lilliana Vazquez (moderator), contributor on TODAY
Lisa Sugar (host), founder and president, POPSUGAR
Jessie Randall, creative director and cofounder, Loeffler Randall
Deborah Lloyd, chief creative officer, Kate Spade & Company
Chloe Coscarelli, celebrity chef and founder, by CHLOE

What does it mean to "power your happy?"

Passion. Talent. Support system. Playing nice. Just doin' it. Lisa Sugar laid the groundwork for the evening by setting out these concepts as a sort of toolkit for powering your own happy, and the themes were repeated in different ways by all the panelists. Some key points from Lisa included:

Find out what you love and what you're good at. Where "talent" and "passion" overlap on the Venn diagram — that's where you can find your happy! Hone your skills in a job that you're passionate about (even if you're not making money from it yet) and it can become the career that you absolutely love.

Build your personal all-star team. You'll get so much further if you curate a strong core group of allies and supporters who inspire you to keep going and believe in you wholeheartedly.

Just do it! Lisa acknowledged that her husband, Brian, is very much a doer and motivated her to create her own opportunities with POPSUGAR.

Bottom line: if you're truly passionate about something, take that leap of faith and just do it!

What's the most surprising thing on your résumé?

Jessie Randall: "[While working in advertising,] I was an assistant account executive on a toilet paper account."

Chloe Coscarelli: "I decided to get my certification in animal massage therapy."

Meanwhile, Deborah Lloyd started her career in menswear, which is obviously a "completely different world" from the feminine flounce of Kate Spade's aesthetic.

On asking for help and building your personal all-star team:

CC: "Surround yourself with positive, amazing women and men." (Chloe also lists her mom as her "unofficial adviser.")

JR: "No one got where they are without help from other people." (So don't be afraid to ask for help!)

DL: "Surround yourself with people who are better than you at the things you don't want to do."

What advice would you give to those trying to power their happy?

DL: "If you love it, the money comes after." And never forget: "A smile will get you an awful lot more than you think."

JR: "I focus on things that I'm good at and let go of the things that I'm not good at . . . The things that I tend to be passionate about are the same things that I'm good at." Also: pursue what you love and don't fear the money aspect. "You have to leave the money question out of it."

CC: "Create things that you yourself want to consume. . . . Don't be afraid of the period that's unknown."

On the importance of failure and making mistakes:

When you're thinking about taking a risk and you're afraid of failing, Jessie suggests asking yourself, "If you do this and fail, will it still be a positive experience?" If the answer is yes, make that leap and just go for it.

DL: "Some of the hardest experiences are the ones where you learn the most."

CC: "See the gifts in failures. . . . Some of my best recipes have come from my worst mistakes. Mistakes do help you in the end."

Who is one person you'd like to meet that you haven't met?

JR: "Bruce Springsteen."

CC: "Mindy Kaling!"

DL: "James Bond."

Any parting advice?

JR: "Think about what makes you different — even flaws. Have a point of view."

CC: "Definitely never give up. If something feels impossible, that might be your in." (Because everyone else probably thinks it's impossible too!)

DL: "Party advice? Oh, parting advice. Do what you love. What do you have to lose?"