4 November 2010
Magnetic Inspiration: Women Inspiring Women
Posted by Intuitive Coach under: self-growth; Women Entrepreneurs .
When I attended the Women’s Conference last week in Long Beach, I was truly inspired by the outpouring of emotion I felt upon learning about the winners of the Minerva Awards. What inspired me most? That one woman could make such a huge difference in the world.
But first, a little background.
For the past seven years, this Conference has been headed by Maria Shriver, First Lady of California. Prior to that, this gathering of California women (and a few brave men) has been known as “The Governor and First Lady’s Conference” and as a past attendee (twice, once under Pete Wilson and once under Gray Davis), I came away each time thinking that it was an interesting, thought-provoking, sometimes inspiring few days spent in the company of thousands of women.
But this year’s Conference was exceptional. No one has brought more Hollywood-style star power than Maria. On this, her last conference before her husband steps down as governor of the Golden State, Maria pulled out all the stops. Her friends in high places didn’t let her down.
I listened to and learned from Jane Fonda about staying in touch with your body as much as possible, listening closely to it, especially as you age and what you can do to stay fit and healthy into your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond.
I heard cooking queen Paula Deen talk about how hard it was to overcome agoraphobia and when she finally did, it was the joy of cooking for others that got her out the door. She talked about starting her business with $250 in her pocket and a crock pot of faith in her ability to cook and teach others how.
I watched Giada DeLaurentis talk about how she had to overcome huge expectations from loved ones that she would naturally want to follow in the family’s film/movie business and instead she felt absolutely compelled to follow her passion for cooking. She dared to be different even when it meant disappointing those she loved most.
I had a chance to observe the deep family bond between Maria Shriver and her four children when she introduced them to the group. I felt admiration that she and her movie star husband had been able to successfully raise their children out of the limelight and how “normal” the kids seemed. What a shock to see how much one of the daughters looked like Caroline Kennedy except when she smiled her face morphed into her dad’s. Another son looked like a young Teddy Kennedy. What a gene pool!
When I found out that Jessica Simpson would be sitting down with Maria and Ali Wentworth who emceed the evening (later I found out Ali’s married to George Stephanopoulos; who knew?), I must admit my first thought was “what can we possibly learn from Jessica Simpson?” Yet my closed mind snapped open. I was impressed with her intelligent, down-to-earth personality as she talked about living under a microscope of public scrutiny, about the recent TV series where she documented how beauty is interpreted around the world and how it felt to make contact with tribal women in Africa whose idea of beauty includes stretching the lower lip, or the young women in remote villages of Thailand who use increasing numbers of metal rings to lengthen their neck and appear more desirable. She spoke passionately about the joy she finds in being an entrepreneur in the fashion business and encouraged others to follow their dreams.
My heart filled with admiration for women who age gracefully, overcome obstacles, follow their passion, dare to be different, and break through limiting stereotypes. These are the kinds of women I am honored and privileged to coach.
My next post will cover Day Two, because that was where the inspiration factor went off the charts, culminating in the Minerva Awards honoring five incredibly worthy women.
One Comment so far...
How Sisterhood Grows Business | Strategies for the journey of life Says:
28 December 2010 at 8:25 pm.
[...] There is tremendous power in women forging bonds with other women to help navigate the inevitable bumps in the road and help lighten the burdens of life. In earlier posts I wrote about the incredibly inspiring time I had last fall at the Women’s Conference http://intuitivelifestrategies.com/blog/women-entrepreneurs/magnetic-inspiration-women-inspiring-wom... [...]
