Sally 2.0 Hosted at Legendary Park Village was Phenomenal
In the elegant surroundings of Park Village, a venue steeped in creative history and architectural splendour, advertising industry professionals gathered for what would become an unforgettable second morning with Sally Miller. The magnificent space, which has hosted countless productions over the years, served as the perfect backdrop for an event that transcended the typical industry gathering and transformed into something profoundly more meaningful.
Thirty minutes before the official start, the venue was already alive with energy. Seasoned professionals exchanged stories of projects they had worked on at Park Village over the years, while first-time visitors marvelled at the venue's grandeur. What made this gathering particularly noteworthy was its inclusive demographic - a refreshing blend of industry veterans, alongside women at the beginning of their professional journeys.
This intergenerational aspect created a unique atmosphere of mentorship and connection. For the established professionals, it was an opportunity to reach back and extend a hand to those following in their footsteps. For emerging talent, it was a chance to claim their rightful place at the table, evidenced by the growing number of new additions to our mailing list.
The main event, featuring Hogarth Deputy Head Of TV Sally Miller, sharing her life journey in February at Host Sponsors Framestore and Company 3, was a masterclass in vulnerability, resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling. Due to massive demand though, this was Sally's second appearance, titled "Sally Miller 2.0," and this iteration delved even deeper into her extraordinary life experiences, seeing emPOWER Host Athene Parker starting the interview in a reverse chronological order, to cover aspects that we didn’t get to at the original talk.
The format was unconventional yet powerful - beginning with Sally's present-day challenges as a family caregiver for her mother who is navigating advanced dementia. From there, the narrative moved backward chronologically to Sally's teenage years when she was paralysed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, requiring round-the-clock care herself. The final chapter explored perhaps the most heart-wrenching aspect of her journey: the loss of two partners over two decades.
What could have been an overwhelmingly sombre account was anything but. Sally's remarkable gift lies in her ability to traverse the full spectrum of human emotion with authenticity and grace. Moments of profound grief were balanced with bursts of genuine laughter, creating an emotional rollercoaster that felt both cathartic and uplifting.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house during Sally's more vulnerable moments. For the more experienced women in the room, Sally's story of resilience and unwavering trust in life despite extraordinary hardship served as a powerful confirmation of their own journeys. For younger professionals, her candid sharing represented the kind of guidance and inspiration that previous generations could only have dreamed of at a similar stage in their careers.
The Q&A session that followed Sally's presentation transformed her personal story into a launchpad for emPOWER’s community action. Discussions centred around the upcoming emPOWER dementia drop-in series, the first of which will feature Sally's father sharing his first-hand experience as a caregiver, along with research findings and practical advocacy strategies that are often not readily available to those navigating similar situations.
Hina Tanna, partner at Silver Levine, will contribute her expertise on essential but often overlooked legal matters such as power of attorney, inheritance tax planning, and benefit entitlements—resources that become crucial during times of grief when administrative clarity is most needed yet hardest to maintain.
The initiative will also incorporate the experiences of community members who have experienced parental loss at a young age, providing multi-generational perspectives on grief and caregiving. Additionally, Bella Clark, formerly of Red Management, will bring her pranic healing expertise, skills learned following her career pivot, bringing alternative tools for managing the intense emotional challenges that accompany caregiving and loss for many of us who find ourselves part of the sandwich generation.
What the event highlighted most prominently was the critical importance of creating safe spaces for conversations that workplace environments often avoid, until they become unavoidable. The communal acknowledgment of shared human experiences—grief, loss, caregiving, vulnerability—reinforced the value of this community platform encouraging businesses to bring policy into place to support their people through these life events.
As one attendee noted afterward, "These are the conversations we need but rarely make time for until we're in crisis. Having this forum to discuss them proactively feels revolutionary."
The growing success of The emPOWER Breakfast in a relatively short time, underscores the hunger for authentic connection and meaningful dialogue within professional communities. emPOWER is a unique industry networking event, which is also a space where professional development and personal growth are recognised as inextricably linked.
For those who attended, the morning represented far more than a networking opportunity. It was a reminder of how powerful shared vulnerability can be, and how the right kind of professional community can nurture both career advancement and personal resilience.
A huge thank you to Park Village and all the team, who hosted such a special event.
If you would like to know more about emPOWER and how you can be involved to support this growing initiative please contact athene@theempowerbreakfast.co.uk.
