---
Title: "Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN"
Date: "2019-10-07T10:42:56+00:00"
---

We kicked off [Destination:D2C](/blog/collection/destinationd2c/) with our second [Amazing Women in eCommerce](https://www.instagram.com/womeninecomm/) (AWiE) Live event: a networking breakfast and inspiring panel discussion.

First launched in 2018, AWiE is a community that **celebrates women working in the eCommerce space**. In March, we announced our 2019 honorees, selected from thousands of nominations. We hosted our [first ever live event](/blog/amazing-women-ecommerce-live-chicago/) in June, at IRCE. For 2020, we’re committing to an expanded program of events, workshops, breakfasts, happy hours, and more. Finally — most exciting of all — [we’ve opened our 2020 nominations](https://www.womeninecomm.com/).

We’re thrilled to continue growing our community, both digitally and in-person, supporting the women boldly driving our industry forward.

![Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 114 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 1](https://www.yotpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Destination-D2C-YotPo-Event-APRIL-RENAE-PHOTOGRAPHER-114-1024x683.jpg "Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 114 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 2")From left: Polly Rodriguez, Justine Mohr, Torey Clements, and Talia Shani



## AWiE @ DSTN

Polly Rodriguez, CEO & Co-founder, [Unbound](https://unboundbabes.com/), Justine Mohr, Vice President of eCommerce, [Tibi](https://www.tibi.com/) (and a 2019 AWiE honoree), Torey Clements, Sr Product Manager, [J.Crew](https://www.jcrew.com/), were the three amazing women on the panel. Yotpo’s own Talia Shani, Marketing Director, UK, led the discussion.

We rounded up some of the most inspiring quotes below.

## Getting started in the industry

“As my mom would tell you, it was not \[my\] plan to start a vibrator business.” – Polly Rodriguez

“What really drove me was brands … for me, it’s an equal balance: **love of brands and love of commerce**.” – Justine Mohr

“I’ll never forget that my first meeting \[at Toys ‘R’ Us\]. My boss told me ‘**go be the small fish in the big pond, learn and absorb**.’” – Torey Clements

![Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 115 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 3](https://www.yotpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Destination-D2C-YotPo-Event-APRIL-RENAE-PHOTOGRAPHER-115-1024x683.jpg "Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 115 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 4")Polly Rodriguez



## Making online shopping more human

“We’ve moved to an age where everyone puts you in a drip campaign — and \[people\] won’t respond to that, but **they will respond to a human who understands their needs**.” – **PR**

“Retail at its essence is really the experience you provide to someone when they decide to make a purchase, and a much more democratic way to do that is online.” – **JM**

![Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 117 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 5](https://www.yotpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Destination-D2C-YotPo-Event-APRIL-RENAE-PHOTOGRAPHER-117-1024x683.jpg "Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 117 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 6")Justine Mohr



## Doing things differently

“I’m best friends with our competitor. **That’s something that doesn’t happen at male-led companies**.” – **PR**

“You have to look at the environment around you and ask, ‘**Why is this happening? What could I do better?**’” – **JM**

“You have to be ruthless, but professional…if something scares you — and almost everything in my career has scared me — **that means you’re growing**.” – **TC**

## The best part about their jobs

“The other women and NB (non-binary) people I’m surrounded by everyday.” – **PR**

“Having a job that allows you to go from small problems to big ones is really intellectually inspiring.” – **JM**

![Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 113 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 7](https://www.yotpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Destination-D2C-YotPo-Event-APRIL-RENAE-PHOTOGRAPHER-113-1024x683.jpg "Destination D2C YotPo Event APRIL RENAE PHOTOGRAPHER 113 Our Favorite Quotes from AWiE Live at DSTN 8")

## Number one takeaway

**“Be inquisitive.”** – **TC**

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The call for 2020 Amazing Women in eCommerce nominations is now open! [Nominate](https://www.womeninecomm.com/) a woman in the eCommerce industry who inspires you, and keep up with all things AWiE by [following us](https://www.instagram.com/womeninecomm/) on Instagram.