00:00Thank you, Lena. Thank you for not only the words about me, but for being an example of how I think it's important to acknowledge our mistakes and move on from them and heal and repair those breaches.
00:17Good morning, everyone.
00:20So now I know that we are in a room of about 450 people, and there are 40 very young women here.
00:30Who are all part of the Hollywood Reporters Mentorship Program.
00:34Yeah.
00:37So, and actually, I'd like to speak directly to them.
00:45So the rest of you 410 people, you can all just check your phones or something.
00:49I won't be offended.
00:50But if you are currently being mentored or are an incoming mentoree to the program, can I ask you to raise your hand, please?
01:06Okay.
01:07All right.
01:08I've clocked you.
01:11You guys are all here, so know I'm trying to direct the room.
01:17But given that you're a mix of 16, 17, and 18-year-olds, none of you were born when my name first surfaced in the media.
01:27And therefore, you may have no idea of my history.
01:30Or if you know of the music of Eminem, G-Eazy, Kid Cudi, and of course, Beyonce, you might have heard of me in a couple of those songs.
01:42So aside from being a former beret model, I am also a lyric in songs.
01:52Whew.
01:53I'm nervous.
01:54Thought doing a TED Talk was nervous, but here we go.
01:57So, but what I really am hoping with all of you who are in the program, that you will take a second now and look around this room.
02:04Really, truly look around the room and take it in.
02:07All of us here this morning, outside of those of you who are in the program, have something in common.
02:15And while I don't know everybody personally, I can guarantee you one thing.
02:21We have all made a mistake in our career that had consequences.
02:26And we can all probably agree that when it comes to being in this room, the worst mistake or the mistake with the worst consequences, I definitely win.
02:37So, hands down.
02:40But that's really what I want to speak to all of you about today.
02:45Those of you in the program, the M word, mistakes.
02:48Mistakes.
02:50Like breathing and change, mistakes are a guaranteed part of life.
02:55They can be found in the history of every successful person, and they're often the seed of every downfall.
03:03But they can be rich with learnings and growth, even when they're painful and devastating.
03:0920 years ago, as a consequence of my mistake, I had to spend some time in court in front of a grand jury.
03:20Not a great place to be, just in case anyone was wondering.
03:23But at the conclusion of my second or third time there, the foreperson of the grand jury, who was actually a stranger to me, said something important.
03:32Quote, Monica, none of us in this room is perfect.
03:37We all fall, and we fall several times a day.
03:41The only difference between my age and when I was your age is now I get up faster.
03:50I was roughly eight years older than most of you who are in the program are now when she said this to me.
03:57And I have now lived long enough to know that she was 100% right.
04:04The fantastic Hannah Gatsby, whom we heard earlier today, who never ceases to amaze me, captured the sentiment perfectly in her Netflix special.
04:16And she said, quote,
04:17There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has had to rebuild herself or who has rebuilt herself.
04:25Sorry, Hannah.
04:26Messed that one up.
04:28And it's important to me that all of you know, as you're sort of moving on into your careers, that you can rebuild.
04:36Painful as they may be, mistakes can give you the chance to become that stronger, rebuilt woman, a more resilient and expanded self.
04:50As you're on these incredible journeys with extraordinary women mentors and as you look to them to help you create your blueprint for success and learning, really, I encourage you to also ask them how they have survived making their mistakes, what they learned, how they navigated those paths.
05:14Get comfortable with the fact that at some point you will make a mistake in your career and know that from the deepest part of you, you can move on from it, you can grow from it and you can survive it.
05:32And when that mistake eventually knocks at your door, I hope you'll think back to today.
05:41Remember everyone in this room and remember that we have all been where you are and we are rooting for you.
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