Betting on Yourself: Leaning into Scary Things with Director Dawn Porter

Dawn Porter was reluctant to call herself a Director, even after her movie premiered at Sundance and got picked up by HBO. Today her award-winning documentaries (John Lewis: Good Trouble, The Way I See It) are an invaluable addition to the historical record, but her humility keeps her from calling herself an activist. In this episode, we’re using Dawn's expertise – she was once a practicing attorney – to renegotiate the contracts that keep women from assuming titles we don’t think we’re qualified for, even when we have more than enough on our resumes. Dawn takes us through her incredible journey from comfortable DC lawyer to celebrated documentarian, covering topics such as:

1. The importance of advocating for yourself with as much passion as you advocate for others
2. How to free yourself from the traps of structure and comfort to take on your next, great adventure
3. How to use mistakes as stepping stones to your next success
4. Learning how to get comfortable with discomfort
5. Stepping into your power and your title as a woman in charge
6. Acknowledging the danger of “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it,” because sometimes breaking things is the first step to your next great adventure. In Dawn’s case, it led her to flying on with Oprah in her private jet to meet Harry (yes, that Harry)

OUR GUEST: Dawn Porter is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her latest film, The Lady Bird Diaries - about first lady Lady Bird Johnson, just premiered at SXSW. She has had a busy decade - she made a great ESPN documentary series 37 Words about Title IX, the civil rights legislation that gave women the equal opportunity to play sports, and her mental health series The Me You Can’t See, which she made with Oprah and Prince Harry, premiered on Apple TV. You may also have seen her films John Lewis: Good Trouble about the legendary Congressman and Civil Rights leader or The Way I See It, about photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as Chief Official White House photographer for President Barack Obama.

Make sure to watch Dawn’s latest film The Lady Bird Diaries, when it airs on Paramount Plus and Showtime this fall.

Want more Dawn? Learn more about her here. While you’re at it, find her online:

Website: https://www.trilogy-films.com/dawn-porter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-porter-1286632a

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dawnporter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnporter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawnporterm

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Mentioned in this episode:

Broad Collective

Learn more about Broad Collective and our membership network for midlife women entrepreneurs at broadcollective.com. Apply to join Broad Collective at https://broad-collective-co.mn.co/landing