People always ask me why I decided to go to an all-women’s institution for undergrad. And every time I say proudly, “because I wanted to become a good leader.”
Agnes Scott College made me a feisty and a more confident woman. It has always been in my nature to stand up for women’s rights and equality, breaking the glass ceiling and women becoming people in power, so when I saw an email advertising the S.H.E Summit here in Dallas, I had to be there.
At first, I thought I would attend as an attendee, however, my grad student budget did not allow for such an expense. How else could I be at the summit?
I decided to email the sponsoring organization, Wilson Munck Mandala, to see if there was any way I could give my time in return attend the Summit. I was quite sure my email would go unanswered. Lucky for me, one of the marketing managers responded back to my email with a spot available for me to volunteer.
I helped out at registration. Stuffed some lanyards and gave out the name tags.
So, what was the S.H.E. Summit?
“S.H.E. Summit Bacardi Dallas is an empowerment event aimed at cultivating women and men leaders.”
SHE Summit Bacardi Agenda Booklet
Throughout the day, there were several women speakers who spoke about their journeys to their current path and how they plan to continue to empower the people around them. (I had to rush back to lab for a lab meeting presentation but I was fortunate enough to hear a few women speak.)
One of the sessions I attended was a breakout panel with 3 women called “Female Founder Breakdown”:
Gail Warrior – Entrepreneur, CEO, Certified Executive Life Coach, CASPR Group
Kate Weiser – Executive Chocolatier/ Owner of Kate Weiser Chocolates
Natalia Oberti Noguera – Founder & CEO, Pipeline Angels, Creator & Host, Pitch Makeover
Left to right: Gail Warrior, Natalia Oberti Noguera & Kate Weiser
One point that the panelist Natalia Oberti Noguera made was that growing up, she didn’t know that a thing like “entrepreneurs” or “CEO” existed. That wasn’t part of her language. Hence, she didn’t know those were viable career choices for her to pursue. It just so happened to be that one of her worst mistakes became her best mistake and lead her to the career path that she has now. Which I could connect with her 100%. Growing up being a “scientist” was never a part of my vocabulary nor was it in the vocabulary of the people I was around. I just so happened to do a summer internship in a lab (as a requirement for med school) and my life changed completely!
That was another point I really liked about her. Instead of thinking of a mistake as your worst mistake… Think of it as your best mistake, because it may lead you to a path you never knew you wanted.
Soon after this session, I had to leave unfortunately, but I came back right in time to hear Ellen Latham, MS, Creator and cofounder of Orange Theory Fitness, Author, PUSH.
Ellen shared her story of losing her job and being a single parent. Through hard work, she could “pick herself back up.”
Here are the steps she shared to pick yourself up:
Momentum Shift Up – Encourage. Don’t yell. Focus on the positive. Focus on what you have not what you don’t have
Support – surround yourself with people who are your supporters, your well-wishers
Relentless Focus – Eliminate distraction. Prioritize. Make timelines. Set self-imposed urgency.
The Power of Believing I Can – I deserve it. Believe in your potential. Believe in “why not me”
There wasn’t much time for Q&A but some questions asked:
Who her biggest supporter was?
Hands down her dad, who unfortunately died of Parkinson’s Disease
Was he able to see her success with Orange Theory?
Unfortunately, he died before Orange Theory picked up. Ellen ended her segment by letting the audience know that a few months ago, she received a letter from another patient suffering from Parkinson’s. The individual thanked her for her Orange Theory method and said that his Parkinson’s symptoms had decreased because of it.
And so, while her father was not alive to see her success. She saw it as a sign that her father is still looking out for her and is always with her!
By the end of her talk, I had goosebumps. I loved her story and I loved that she was successful! Her story was empowering and encouraging. What a wonderful way to end the day!
Ellen Latham, MS, Creator and Cofounder OrangeTheory Fitness, Author, PUSH
Lastly, I ended my wonderful day at the S.H.E Summit with a Bacardi sponsored Happy Hour and Networking, where I met a partner of Wilson Munck Mandala, Austin Branch and we discussed future opportunities to continue volunteering and being part of outreach events!
I would say, I had an amazing day! To end the day, all the stories of the women have encouraged me to continue to pursue my passion and learn through others and my own mistakes. As Maya Angelou says so eloquently, “Now that I know better, I do better.”
#S.H.ESummitDallas 2018
Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them!
Check out Instagram for a giveaway of this shirt!
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