AUTHOR OF THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE ROOM IS YOU : LYDIA FENET
LYDIA FENET
What inspired you to write your new book “The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You” ?
There has never been a more critical time for women to have a strong voice, and yet I see so many women who still doubt that they have power. I wrote this book to give women a road map to help them reach their goals by sharing my experiences with both failure and success over a twenty year career at Christie’s.
What is your intention in sharing your wisdom through your book?
To motivate women to live the life that they want by finding confidence in their voice.
Women at times struggle with stepping into their “powerful essence”…what would you say to the woman that is feeling a bit disconnected in locating her power?
Surround yourself with a community of women who support you and hold you accountable for the goals that you set in life.
What is the best advice you received?
“Stop looking around. You already have it all”. It reminds me to stop, look around and be immensely grateful for what I have in life.
You’re a mom, author, wife, and globe-trotting auctioneer. What is your work life balance secret?
Time management. I try to have oversight into everything written on a calendar that I keep with me at all times. That way, whenever someone asks me to attend something/take an auction/give a speech, I can pull out my calendar and glance to see what is going on in the lives of everyone in our family. But let’s be honest, with three kids something is always coming out of left field so I also try to give myself a pass whenever something falls through the cracks. The day of my book launch we sent my daughter to school without her violin on a day when she had a lesson. The school called to let me know that she couldn’t take the lesson (can’t take a violin lesson without a violin). I could have gone down the working mom guilt rabbit hole, but I simply said “well next week we will remember that!”. Life happens, so be proactive, but remember not to beat yourself up about the small things.
Over the course of creating your very successful life, what was the method or advice you can share on how you got through challenges?
Keep moving forward and keep asking for what you want. I see so many people who are incapacitated by their fear of rejection. I am successful because I ask for what I want and make my intentions clear. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but at least I ask!
Any additional advice you would like to share with women that are looking to go be the most powerful woman in the room?
No one needs to give you permission to live the life you want except for you. Go after your dreams and make them happen - no one can do it for you.
What’s next for you?
So many things! I just signed with CAA Speakers Bureau which is exciting. We have also been discussing a film/TV adaptation of the book. I want to write The Most Powerful Girl in the Room is You, continue taking auctions and run The Strategic Partnerships team for Christie’s. I am also hoping that we can add an extra hour to the day because I have so many ideas I am going to need more time to accomplish those goals!
In gratitude to Lydia for sharing her story and inspiration.
Lydia Fenet serves as the Managing Director and Global Director of Strategic Partnerships at Christie’s. In addition to her role within Christie’s, she has raised over half a billion dollars for more than 400 non-profits worldwide as the leading benefit auctioneer in the country. Ms. Fenet has trained all of Christie’s benefit auctioneers for the past seven years, and travels around the country to speak to corporations and groups on “The Art of Selling.” Lydia’s auctioneering achievements have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Vogue, Crain’s, Elle, Vanity Fair, Forbes, WWD, Vogue.com, and WorkingMother.com. The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You is her first book and will be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in Spring 2019. You can follow her auctions, antics, and anecdotes on Instagram: @LydiaFenet #ownyourpower