By Marisa Bate, our in-house reporter on the day. She was here to capture the essence of the Festival and listen to all your stories! Marisa is freelance journalist, author and regular commentator on feminist issues.

On quite Sunday mornings, the City of London can be a strange place. The coffee shops aren’t teeming with fast-walking workers in suits and polished shoes, but closed and empty, lights off. On the street, it’s mainly tourists, lost, looking for St Paul’s Cathedral, or being led by a guided tour. But there, opposite the Bank of England, on one crisp, blue-skied October Sunday morning, I walked into The Ned, a hotel and members bar in a Grade I listed former bank, and was met with a great injection of lively buzz. Guests chatted over morning coffee and leisurely brunches, as waiters rushed past on the black and white floor tiles gleaming under the tall glass roof. And it was here, in this chic corner of the City, a stone’s throw from Bank tube, that Vestpod held its first ever festival, Money Matters.

The festival had sold out, and 250 women were on their way to take the elevator to the sixth floor, complete with a terrace showing off panoramic views of London. In the main room, just after 9.30am, fresh pastries, coffee and juice waited as guests arrived and began to chat under the large green marble arches. An excited energy filled the space as the sunlight spilled through tall windows.

Eventually guests gathered in a wood-panelled room under three giant shimmering chandeliers. Here, Vestpod’s founder, Emilie Bellet, welcomed the audience, celebrating the fact that a room full of (notbaly stylish) women sat opposite the Bank of England, not least in a week that had seen such economic turmoil thanks to the then-Chancellor’s infamous “mini-budget”.

This day, she said, was seven years in the making, and ever since she had founded Vestpod, she has been driven by the aim to help bust myths around money, women and value. “We are always learning”, she told the audience “And it is a privilege to be in this room and think about how we can empower not only ourselves, but also those who need it the most”. A moment of recognition spread across the room. There was something inherently empowering in coming together that autumn morning to discuss why, and how, money matters to women -  arguably now more than ever.

The morning started with several fascinating panel discussions from a host of experts. The day kicked off with Davinia Tomlinson, founder of rainchq, Laura Whateley, author and journalist, and Amy Spiller, Chartered Financial Planner at Barclays who spoke to Nina Mohanty, Founder and CEO of Bloom Money. The panel explored the emotional complexities of our relationship to our bank accounts, and what it means for our lives - from relationships and divorce, to self-worth and independence.

Next Carmel Dickinson of Vestpod interviewed the i newspaper’s Housing Correspondent, Vicky Spratt. Vicky left the room audibly gasping when she pointed out the average UK woman’s income could not afford to buy a house anywhere in the country. Afterwards, Aja Barber and Meera Kumar took to the stage for a conversation on how to shop sustainably. Aja’s number one tip? Always check if a brand pays a living wage.

Time for coffee and I found myself chatting with Phillipa, 33, a civil servant from London. She’d already had her financial advisor one-to-one offered by the festival, saying she came to get “dispassionate advice from someone who doesn't know me”. “It was so helpful”, she continued. “You don’t feel sheepish about sharing where you are, even where you’re falling down, or if you’ve got questions that might seem a bit daft. You can just be honest, which as everyone has said this morning, is so important and half the battle”.

Nearby, I talk to Sam, 27, and Syliva, 43, who had just met that morning and quickly realised they shared common ground both being women working in tech firms. “It feels like a community” says Syliva of the festival atmosphere; “everyone is so welcoming and friendly”. Both women had learned of Money Matters via Vestpod’s podcast, The Wallet, and Emilie’s book, You’re Not Broke, Just Pre-Rich. “It’s so helpful to have a female lens,” says Sam. “When it comes to things like salary negotiations, it’s useful to have a model of the kind of conversation you should be having because in my office no one talks about it”.

Back to the panel discussions and the conversation turned to the economy. Isabel Berwick of the Financial Times, one of the day’s sponsors, chaired a conversation with Romi Savova, CEO of PensionBee, Bev Shah of The City Hive and Selina Flavius, founder of Black Girl Finance. Much emphasis was placed on not being overwhelmed by headlines you can’t control, as well as empowering women through education and self-belief.

Romi Savova of PensionBee, another one of Money Matters sponsors, told the room, “This conversation should be part of the curriculum. If you have children, teach them, if you have friends, nudge them. Financial knowledge is power”.

Bev Shah agreed, and encouraged the audience to trust themselves: “Your gender makes no difference if you are a good investor. We’re constantly being told we don’t know how to take risks - it’s not true. Or go and find a female fund manager to invest in because if they’ve survived in the City, they'll have to be better than a man”.

Many in the audience wanted to reconcile the ambition of making money with being socially conscious.

Selina said it was possible to do both: “Money is a tool. We shouldn't feel guilty about having it. Without it we can’t help others. Yes, we want to support a good cause, but we need to get by. It doesn’t have to be an either/or binary. We can take those shackles off”.

Other great advice came from the next panel which asked: “How can we make money work for us?”, chaired by Helen Driver from Vestpod. Helen Tabeshfar, Executive Director in the EMEA DEI team of JPMorgan Chase said: “Budget, have an emergency fund for if the worst happens, like a relationship break down, a lost job, or having to sell a house. Think about making debt less, stay clear of places you know you might spend, invest and sort your pension; start, or put more in. This is a time for self-care”.

Financial coach Bola Sol agreed: “It's not us; it’s the economy, it’s not us; it's the government. I’m telling everyone to tap into their skills, especially women. Ladies, it’s time to strap up and hold on for dear life. We need to tap into the bank of ‘we can do this’. It’s time to get in our hustle mentality. Every penny counts”.

For Vivi Friedgut, founder of BlackBullion, being smart with money begins with understanding it: “Demystifying money is really important. I want to do for money what Sex And The City did for sex. Why can’t we go out for brunch with our girlfriends and talk about money?”. For those in the audience who had questions about money and business, Vivi was straight-talking: “Don’t listen to the narrative out there, talk to the people who have done it. Generate your own money, avoid fundraising if you can. Don’t stand in your own way. Keep your eye on the ball”.

Over lunch guests mingled and chatted, some taking advantage of the warmth of the terrace. Vodafone Business V-Hub was on hand with a stall as was PensionBee, The FT, Barclays, JP Morgan Chase Women on the Move and Money Means for advice for those thinking of setting up their own business or how best manage different products.

Boards dotted around the sixth floor encouraged attendees to answer questions like ‘What Money tip do you love the most?’ And ‘What is your Money aspiration?’ and share responses on a Post-it Note. The anonymous answers were honest and insightful, from “finding financial freedom” and being “mortgage-free” to “making a lot more money” or “being able to give to causes closer to my heart”.

The Post-its proved what so many of the conversations of the day had suggested: that managing and making money is often at the core of who we perceive ourselves to be, and what we want our lives to look like. The promise of financial independence and resilience, especially in the time of an uncertain economy and a cost-of-living crisis, is a mountain that many in the room seemed determined to climb - whatever stage of life or career they were at.

As the afternoon arrived, Gemma, 31, from Essex, told me she wanted to learn to invest to boost her income and had come to take part in the workshops on offer, which also included Pensions 101 with Emma Maslin with PensionBee, and Financial Planning with Helena Wardle and Chantelle Pattinson from MoneyMeans. Gemma opted for the Investing workshop with Gillian Hepburn and Helen Driver in partnership with Schroders. “I feel like there is this whole world of opportunity I’m missing,” Gemma said. “Vestpod events always make me feel like being smarter with my money is more achievable” .

Gemma thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. Her biggest takeaway? To reframe risk. “I think a lot of women see investing as a gamble but it really doesn’t have to be if you understand what you’re doing”.

Upteen coffees later, a lot of notes made, Instagram handles swapped, hours of advice, guidance, and personal anecdotes to soak up, plus some time spent mooching in our bookstore, Phlox, which sold all the speakers’ books, plus plenty of others, and it’s finally time for the headliner. Anna Whitehouse, aka MotherPukka, takes to the stage for a conversation with Emilie, and while she reminds us how flexible working is not just for mothers, but for everyone, she also makes plain just how personal finding a way that works for us can be, and the barriers women specifically face. 

“I remember miscarrying at my desk and not telling anyone in case they knew I was trying for a baby and fear it would impact my career. Now I campaign, I know no one really listened to me until my husband got involved. Suddenly I was listened to because I was standing next to a man”.

 And she isn’t the only woman whose career has taken a hit because of her gender: “47% more mothers than fathers logged off their careers in the pandemic”. Her advice? “Have the conversation in your own home. That’s where activism begins. Say to your partner: this is my something, I have worked hard for this, this is important to me. Your career is your something, your children are your everything. The two can sit side by side.”

Emilie finished off the day with her three takes aways: “1. Ignore the noise, focus on yourself; 2. Keep learning, and do the work; and 3. Be open, pay it forward”.

And then it was time for pale rose on the terrace as attendees digested what they’d heard and swapped stories. By the time the sun was setting over the city, the inaugural Vestpod festival was done, and lots of women were left feeling hopeful, connected, focused and informed on just why money matters to them.

Watch the replays and read the summaries of the talk here Money Matters Festival!