Abby Hopper’s Post

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President & CEO at Solar Energy Industries Association

I'm an expert at changing clothes in strange bathrooms. Just this past Sunday, after landing in Atlanta for the Solar Energy Industries Association Executive Strategy Summit, I realized I didn’t have enough time to head to the hotel to change and get ready for a business dinner. So, I turned to my old standby. Getting ready in a random restroom along the way. This time, it was the Whole Foods bathroom (which is actually pretty nice compared to some I have been to). Why am I sharing this? Because I know I am not the only one who changes clothes in airport, rental car, and hotel bathrooms. I am not the only one who takes great pains to prevent any of my skin from touching anything on the ground. I am not the only one who wonders how all her years of education and preparation led to this moment – half-dressed in a grocery store bathroom before attending an important event. It’s important (to me, at least) to be honest about what being a working woman looks like. To share authentically about the realities of juggling parenting, traveling, and working. I love what I do, but it is not always glamorous. There are so many moments when I am standing in line for a flight or doing my makeup in a rental car center bathroom mirror that I feel like I am always about three steps away from having my act together. And then I remember. I am doing the best I can to show up and represent the solar and storage industry. And sometimes that means changing clothes in strange bathrooms. 

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Carolyn Elefant

FERC, Energy & Climate, Regulatory, Litigation & Appeals. creator, MyShingle.com, where law firms launch. Solo by Choice Author, #AI enthusiast

4mo

I’m so glad you posted this because I thought I was the only one who did this. As a law firm owner, I’m always hustling for the next opportunity- back in my salad days, I took (and slept on) an overnight bus to meet clients the next day and changed at the station and even today when I do speaking engagements, I fly in wearing sweats and change in the bathroom. To me, this pic is a badge of honor!

Kevin Smith

Chief Executive Officer at Arevon Energy

4mo

Admitting yet another advantage that men have, I've changed clothes in/around my rental car in the rental car lot.

Addie Momyer

Fighting climate change by supporting the transition from fossil fuels to a future fueled by clean, renewable energy.

4mo

You never fail to inspire, Abby. Had the same experience last year when traveling to the WRISE Leadership Summit. Arrived too early to get into my room so I had to change clothes in the hotel lobby bathroom. Watching you navigate your role as CEO with excellence, skill and grace inspires so much admiration, but seeing that you have the same struggles as the rest of us allows me to give myself grace when I feel like I’m falling short. Thanks for being perfectly human. 💕

Bree Brouwer ✍🏻 Senior Content Strategist at Omnidian

Craveable content for solar pioneers | Content marketing fanatic w/ a ❤️ for human-centered storytelling & a desire for data-driven results

4mo

I LOVE this. And I feel it so much as a new mom, in particular. I've definitely done deodorant touch-ups in the nursing rooms while pumping, checking my work phone, making sure I look presentable after, etc. 🤱

Nikki Miller

Senior Solar Developer at New Energy Equity, Community Solar

4mo

I feel like this should be a skill listed on my resume. Lots of planning and precision execution required. 😄

Andy Huson

Product Management | Data & Insights | Consumer Behavior | Programmatic

4mo

To add to the degree of difficulty, where do you change an infant with a blowout in said bathroom 🚽 I have been there before...

Jason Daniels

Trina Solar | Utilities Sales Manager

4mo

Okay, the drain in the middle of the floor would have had me a little extra worried but I'm with you! Last year it was a toilet in the entrance lobby of Intersolar EU for me, straight from the airport too! There is NO place you fail to inspire us from Abby! 🤣❤️

Melissa Alfano

Senior Director of Energy Markets & Counsel

4mo

Literally me on the way back from the summit. I changed in the airport bathroom, out of my stuffy business clothes into leggings and a shirt.

Maggie A. Yancey

Social Equity Innovation Specialist | Leading Entrepreneurship Efforts

4mo

The struggle is REAL.

Sonia Dunlop

CEO of the Global Solar Council - the world's solar PV industry association.

4mo

I mean, who wants to wear an uncomfortable suit and heels on a long flight right? Not I… Men never seem grateful for the fact that their clothes are soooo much more comfortable!

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