2013 Massachusetts Conference for Women

I was fortunate to attend the 2013 Massachusetts Conference for Women.  The day prior, I volunteered stuffing the goodies bags, which allowed me to attend for free the next day.  While it is great to save money I would happily pay for this conference as it is so valuable.  I simply enjoy the connections I make while volunteering.

This was my second time and last year I stayed overnight and treated myself to a fabulous room service dinner followed by a movie and great night’s sleep.  This year I was unable to get a room so I commuted via train.  It was a good reminder of why I don’t miss the corporate world.  Becoming my own boss is one of the best things I have ever done.  The commuter train certainly has its share of oddballs.  I encountered someone playing angry birds with the volume on high and a gum chomping woman.  The best was the woman sitting next to me having a very loud phone conversation in an unidentifiable (to me) language with random bursts of awkward laughter.   I jumped in my seat when she broke out into conversation.  I was tempted to just stare at her through the entire call.

The theme of the conference this year was The Power of Us.  It started with a great Keynote opening lineup.  I particularly loved Susan Cain best-selling author of Quiet.  As an extrovert I was fascinated to hear about the power of introverts.  I did not buy her book at the conference but will be asking for it for Christmas.  If you get a chance, check out her TED talk.  We were also introduced to Linda Cliatt-Wayman the principal at, Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia.  I encourage everyone to Google her.  Everyone should know about this incredible woman.

The first session I attended “How to Use Body Language to Influence Human Behavior and Enhance your Presence” with Janine Driver, lie detector expert and best-selling author of You Can’t Lie to Me, was my favorite of the day.  I went into it thinking this might be dry, but could really help me in my business.  Boy was I wrong.  I laughed so many times in the hour and in the end like many in the room found myself sobbing.  Janine is hysterical and has a wonderful outlook on life.   She keeps you engaged the entire time.  I learned the importance of the chin touch and how it displays confidence, but my favorite takeaway was Life is Full of Possibilities! Yes Janine!

The second session I attended was “The Shift: The Moment and Method for Reinvention” with Tory Johnson.  Tory is another best-selling author and contributor on “Good Morning America”.   Her book The Shift is about weight loss, but it can be applied to anything you want to change in your life.   Tory is a great speaker and I sadly missed her at last year’s conference because I was drawn to other sessions.  I now know I would have loved her Small Business Boot Camp.  I wish this conference should be more than just one day.  I want to hear it all!

The keynote lunch was fantastic.   Having all 10,000 women (and a few men) gathered in one room was inspiring and the energy was incredible.  Blake Mycoskie founder of TOM’s Shoes shared his story of how TOM’s was started and his One for One global movement.  The story is incredible and like so much that day inspiring.  I remember Blake and his sister Paige from the Amazing Race (I haven’t missed a season) and I had no idea he was the founder of TOM’s.  I guess he has made up for missing losing that season by four minutes.  I also enjoyed Tory Johnson’s interview of Robin Roberts.  Robin is the salt of the earth and her outlook on life is spectacular.  My favorite quotes from here were “Optimism is a muscle that gets stronger with use” and “When fear knocks let faith answer”.

My lofty goal is to finish my book and be a speaker at the conference.  When I posted this on my Twitter page the conference people (@masswomen) responded with “Why wait for the book? Speaker applications will be up in March.”  I froze and thought that is too soon!  This would be a huge step out of my comfort zone.  I talk in front of people all the time but not in that big setting.  Then I sat with it for a bit and thought: Isn’t that what I am supposed to be doing?  We all need to step out of our comfort zone to grow.  I told myself I will revisit the thought after the holidays.

This is just a glimpse of a wonderful day.  Check out www.maconfernceforwomen.org to see all the conference has to offer.