You won’t want to miss this year’s stimulating conversation led by a panel of inspiring and thought-provoking women.
Join us on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge for our Seventh Annual Women’s Lunch. Sex, Love and Life promises to be an afternoon of love, laughter, storytelling as moderator Dee Poku-Spalding, CEO & Founder of The WIE Suite, leads a dynamic discussion with Jessica Cruel, Editor-In-Chief of Allure, Julia Haart, CEO/Designer/Author/Activist/Producer and star of Netflix hit show “My Unorthodox Life”, Alyssa Shelasky, Sex Diaries columnist at New York Magazine, andJulie Wainwright, Co-Founder and CEO, Ahara; Founder and former CEO, The RealReal.
Jessica Cruel is the editor-in-chief of Allure, where she leads the development of multi-platform editorial content for digital, social, and video platforms, including the Readers’ Choice Awards and Best of Beauty Awards franchises. Cruel joined Allure in 2019, before becoming EIC in 2021. That same year, Cruel spearheaded The Melanin Edit, a new Allure platform exploring all things relating to Black beauty and wellness. Prior to joining Allure, Jessica also held editorial roles at Refinery29, SELF, and Popsugar.
Julia Haart is a self-made business leader, designer and bestselling author with a personal story that inspires millions. After living a majority of her life in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Monsey, New York, Julia left her community at 42 and launched her career in fashion, creating a successful shoe brand, and being named Creative Director of La Perla. In 2019, she became co-owner and CEO of Elite World Group that she built into a billion dollar success story representing over 5,000 of the world’s top talent .
Julia is currently the founder and CEO of +Body by Julia Haart, with a mission to re-imagine shapewear as comfortable, technologically advanced, confidence building clothing that is designed to be seen. As +Body continues to gain accolades for their innovation in shapewear, the company is preparing to shakeup the traditional ready to wear and swimwear market with built in shapewear. One of +Body’s greatest innovations is their integration of purchasing your shapewear, not just by dress size, but also by cup size.
Most known for her successful reality show on Netflix “My Unorthodox Life” that aired in over 190 countries, Julia’s story has helped to inspire and educate millions of viewers. She also shares her story of hardship and triumph in her best selling book “BRAZEN.”
Julia is a dedicated activist on a global level having traveled to Israel after the Oct 7 attacks, delivering medical supplies in Ukraine, educating women in Rwanda on sexual health, and speaking at the Global Women’s March for Iranian Women to name a few. She also serves on the ERA Coalition Advisory Board, Association for Foreign Press Correspondents USA Board of Directors, and the Emerge America Creative Coalition.
Alyssa Shelasky is New York Magazine’s iconic Sex Diaries columnist, as well as the star and producer of HBO’s Sex Diaries docuseries. She has also been published in The New York Times, Elle, Vogue and People. She is the author of Apron Anxiety: My Messy Affairs In and Out of the Kitchen,and This Might Be Too Personal. She was most recently a writer on Love in Fairhope on Hulu, and is currently developing a relationship podcast with the actress, Dakota Johnson. She lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family.
Julie Wainwright is an entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer who has been building and growing technology and consumer businesses for more than 20 years. Currently, she is the CEO and co-founder of Ahara, a precision nutrition company founded in 2022. The company raised a seed round of $10M+ in funding with investors including Greycroft, Headline, SHAKTI, and others.
Prior to Ahara, Julie was founder of The RealReal. She grew The RealReal into the leading luxury consignment company and forever changed the way people buy and sell high-end luxury goods. In addition, Wainwright raised sizable venture capital funding, and brought the company public in 2019. One of just 23 women in history to found and lead a company through an IPO. Wainwright left The RealReal to found Ahara in 2022.
Julie is a frequent speaker at industry events including the Forbes Women’s Summit, Code Commerce, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit, New York Times Luxury Summit, Barron’s Copenhagen Fashion Summit, and Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit, as well as at top universities including Stanford University and Purdue.
She has received several prestigious industry awards and accolades including: Entrepreneur’s 50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs, Fast Company’s Most Creative People, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Inc. Magazine’s 100 Female Founders List, Retail Innovator of the Year, and Business of Fashion’s BoF 500. Most recently, she was celebrated by Forbes in their inaugural 50 successful women over 50.
Named one of Marie Claire Magazine’s 50 Women Changing the World, Dee Poku founded The WIE Suite with the goal to create a community that redefines success and how women achieve and experience it—on their own terms and in support of each other. Having formerly held senior roles at Paramount Pictures and Focus Features, Dee pivoted to entrepreneurship when she realized there weren’t enough safe spaces and resources for women to accelerate their careers and learn from each other in a way that was constructive rather than competitive.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
About Women’s Lunch
Co-Chairs
Pippa Lord Hale and Linsey Snyder
Planning Committee
Sonya Ayyappan | Ayanna Behin | Che Chisholm Cydnee Murray Cornwell | Marisa Fariña | Elizabeth Johnson| Melissa Joy Manning | Sejal Mukherjee | Dee Poku-Spalding | Melissa Prober | Jen Votaw | Jillian Woods
All proceeds from the Women’s Lunch support Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that infuses NYC’s waterfront gem with joy, wonder, and exploration. From vibrant cultural events, dynamic fitness activities, and educational opportunities, our free programs enrich the lives of thousands of New Yorkers each year. Questions? We’re here to help! Contact us at events@brooklynbridgepark.org.