Investing in Yourself Leadership Conference
Disclaimer:
Everything below is a mix of what I observed and heard during the event. The goal isn’t to pinpoint "who exactly said what," but to share (usually) an outsider's view and overall perspective on these industries. I’m not here to act as a definitive firsthand source—readers should do their own research. I hope this inspires you to attend events, explore new industries, and hear what leaders are presenting. These notes combine my observations with thoughts on how things could run smoother and how ideas connect (IMO). I’m not an expert, you know? Just hanging out in the room with them. Enjoy!Topics: Financial Planning, Mental Health, Confidence, Leadership, Healthy Lifestyle, Networking
This event was advertised for women and hosted by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. Later, I realized its sponsor is one of the companies that I dislike more than most any others on Earth ... however, I’d already bought my ticket and the topic is relevant, and I just really wanted to think this through. I decided to attend this event, knowing they lead it, and I wanted hear the narrative they are sending out to women leadership. What do they want to tell people that “investing in yourself” means? I was more critical than usual on this one, as well… but they have so much money, so they have the resources to completely nail an event… so its no excuses. I just wanted to see if maybe they could surprise me or something?
Why Attend: It’s never a bad idea to learn about investing in yourself, and what that means? Do you need to take all of the advice? Absolutely not! But taking the time to learn more about your options and yourself is helpful. It may even help you figure out the things you extra do/don’t agree with!! You can’t judge people off their companies more than you can judge them just off themselves, their thoughts, and their messages… so I wanted to see, what in this do I agree with and what is not advice I’d give? It makes me mad they have a great reputation nationwide to the common people (almost everyone), but I don’t know how long that can last in this era of transparency we’re hopefully heading into.
Overall Event Ratings: Venue (5/5), Food (2.5/5), Speaker Content (3.5/5), Networking (4/5), Likeliness to Return (2/5)… (more below)
Photo Collage + Commentary:
NOTES FROM THE EVENT:
Additional Disclaimer:
Again, I didn’t realize that this event was hosted by this huge bank. I really am constantly disappointed and furious as I learn more about their company, leadership, lack of values. The more I learn the history of our nation and even their current felonies, I’m so upset and disgusted and shocked they’re such ‘leaders’ of our nation. They receive tiny fines for committing huge crimes against humanity. And were a part of shaping the foundations of our current education system, which now leaves everyone lacking in financial literacy.
When everyone asks, “why didn’t I learn about money in school?” It’s cause JP Morgan cut it out of our schooling in the 20’s. Alongside natural medicines. So, having them now lead our financial wellness and health wellness, I scoff.
“As industrialists like J.P. Morgan pushed for standardized public education, the curriculum moved toward subjects that prepared students for the workforce, rather than personal financial management or entrepreneurship.” - Chat GPT real quick!
They set everyone up to fail and be customers for generations to come. It’s not okay.
I don’t like Chase. I’ve seen enough to stand firm and say that they’re not a good company. I don’t support what they stand for. I don’t think they’re values-centered or bettering our world. They’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing, compeltely taking advantage of the people, investing in horrible things for our world, running a different agenda than they preach to the general public. Like the cocaine barges they were caught with (look it up). They pay for islands (look it up). How they always pay TINY fees on huge crimes, and their current CEO already has over 300 felonies he’s been charged since he started… but he keeps brushing them off and moving forward. It’s like, surreal!!!
So, I think it’s fair and expected that I’m extra critical on them in every aspect in this event.
They have money to do everything right. But time and time again I’ve seen their leadership make choices that aren’t in the best interest of the general public and it makes conditions worse for the majority.
Most everything about this event online (the write ups and summaries) didn’t advertise it was hosted by them - I woudl have noticed!!! So they sorta (but not really, but sorta) tricked me into this. Maybe others were told about this event through word of mouth and recommendation or something, so it was more inferred in those was. I just thought the city was hosting this.
They have all the wealth and resources in the world, there is no excuse they can’t put together a fantastic seminar and event. Money isn’t an object for them, compared to almost anyone else hosting an event, for real.
PREARRIVAL
I was first surprised to see an email in the morning from the organization. It felt like an email that was giving everyone permission to be late. The email said that lunch starts at 11:30 so hang out and meet the tables before hand. For me, when I read that, I realized I had more time than I expected (since nothing but lunch even starts till 11:30, then the speeches don’t even start till 12:30.) It made me want to stand up a bit more for the tables who paid to be there and sponsor. This pre-show fair was last minute sorta thrown under the bus. It’s like, hey… make time for this fair, but btw lunch isn’t till 11:30. Just felt like they could have scheduled it better or rearranged it so that spending time at these booths was way more convenient. I feel like sponsors who host tables are ignored all of the time at events. It feels liek “getting the sponsors and tables” Is remembered, but day-of-show appreciation and execution falls flat so often.
It can be so awkward hosting a booth. So hardly also even having natural organic conversations with people at your booth cause there’s not exciting time reserved. That sucks too and it’s noticeable. They should bring people to you.
I would need to look back at old events and see where schedules were better appreciative of sponsors, but this one felt like the sponsors and tables were definitely an afterthought, put to the front and then left for happy hour.
It’s nice the table representatives could learn from this - the tables were shut down in the middle/during speeches, but still, that beginning time they were tipped.
I think mixing it in with networking is better… mix it into the schedule. But, it also just depends on your goals and prioritizing for these events.
Just long story short, I’m saying I notice a trend where sponsorship tables don’t get good timeframes for talking to attendees… so even though hundreds/thousands of people are there, if the schedule isn’t intentional, you’ll not be able have much time to talk to them… after putting all that effort, time, money, vulnerability into your display.
I talked to the security guard at the subway. He thought my ‘liquid death’ water was a corona at first. He asked a bit about why I moved to Seattle, what I like about here (he’s from here).
He told me that the schedule keeps changing with the trains and there are delays cause they do a yearly purge of all the staff… so it takes a while to retrain people.
A YEARLY PURGE?… Omg. Hahaha geeez. He didn’t realize he’s telling this to Kelly Tutors. A yearly purge to beware of for employees??
But most everyone who sticks around wants the graveyard shift cause it pays $4 more.
And then the graveyard shift, he said its’ $4 more? And then everyone’s excited about it cause it’s easier too? Cause there are less customers… and he said ‘mostly it’s cleaning’? Cleaning? cleaning? The drivers are cleaning??? I didnt clarify with him, I just thought that to myself. No way they have th drivers cleaning?? Their best drivers move to graveyard and clean? I don’t think so. Must be an industry phrase. “clean up” or something.
Arrival:
It was pretty easy to find, not necessarily. But right by the transit center, just a little hidden.
Walking in, it’s super fancy. Coat check - nice, name tags. Places to take professional pictures. Swag bag.
I seated myself. Looked around the different tables a bit and got lunch.
Tables included: beauty, charities (btw, did you guys see how lately the famous charity cookies have been tested and 100% have dangerous levels of chemicals and metals in them? Yeah.)
Senior citizen homes (who were so weird to talk to, they didn’t take me seriously at all and just talked about coupons they’re offering. They didn’t talk about their home, just offered me coupons to a place with great bagels and one with great pizza. Felt weird. Their pitch was that our parents deserve good care. I said, sure, and we should set good examples for our younger ones to take good care of us too.)
There was a survey on board and the first question was asking everyone’s favorite singers.
Later, they used this info to play the music (not the full time- which honestly was lame.. they should have 100% let the audiences vote dictate music. That’d be such a clever move)
Mayor is the first speaker
She’s been doing this for 6 years
When you have done something before and you feel scared, your brain will kick in and tell you, “you’ve done this before, you got this” - so have the courage to push through your fears
Have the courage today to invest in yourself.
Now the MC is a partner for advocacy, used to be a journalist, was a senior producer in DC, she covered congress for many years… that’s her background. SHe’s here to help with transitions. SHe’s grateful to the Bellevue Chamber and invite her today.
BEGINNING OF SPEECHES / INVEST FINANCIALLY
FOR THE RECORD, IF IT WERE ME, I’D SAY INVESTING IN YOURSELF MEANS EDUCATION! NOWHERE DID THEY SAY “invest in yourself, your education, doing things on your own”… I told my table how I make decisions for my own and it works when you keep trying!! LEARN THINGS ON YOUR OWN EACH DAY, BECOME CONFIDENT AND CAPABLE. HERE, THE DISCUSSION WAS SO MUCH ABOUT EXTERIOR SUPPORT TO LEAN ON… INVEST IN FINANCIAL ADVISORS, INVEST TIME IN YOUR DOCTORS + DON’T DRINK (I agree that drinking is good to cut down on, but then the sponsors were a lot for beauty care, skincare, etc… I boycotted makeup a while ago in 99.99% of all circumstances), and INVEST IN YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK (which is good but also I think invest in your self worth, self confidence, value… think of how to bring value more to yourself and others will flock. But do this by standing for your values!!!! It takes courage, but it’s worth the longterm investment. That’s more true to what I think.)
Starting with banks. Thanking the banks. their main sponsor and teammates (the big banks, corporations, services, supporting sponsors, etc)
This program’s purpose is to find different ways to invest in yourself: financially, physically, emotionally.
17 organizations demonstrate a deep commitment to supporting the chamber and its missions.
Bringing vitality to the Eastside economy.
Throughout the conference they will be using Slideo so you can join in and engage in on the conversation and participate in the screen.
After each speech, we’ll have guided conversations at each table, then you can talk with the group.
Handy notebooks came in the clear tote bags, so feel free to take out a notebook and take some notes. It’s going to be brief but let the convo sink in to think about yourself and your own goals.
At the end there is a prize of:
Two round trip tickets flying
Skincare treatment kit
Basket of skincare is for whoever posts and tags them with the branded hashtag
First Panel has experts from banks, credit union, and law groups (moderator is with - accounting)
First person is an Executive Director Wealth Advisor at a big bank, an ED Banker at this big company, a state attorney from a big law group, and the president/ceo of a credit union
Thanks for all being here with us. Before we get started, let’s clear the air, it’s not “get rich quick” or one size all financial plan.
This is not financial advice, we’re here to just share experience.
Walk away feeling empowered, not overwhelmed.
So many parts of womanhood are taboo over the years: body, health, mental health, even visions outside of having a family. Financial Wellness is one of the most uncomfortable topics for women to talk about… so how can we change that and make it something more fun to discuss in our lives?
I started running this year, never ran in my life, but my coach who I work with every week… she gave me the best advice in the wold on how to start runningn… she said: “Just start running” and it was weird, I’m like, “well yeah… I kept thinking before I’m not a runner, I’m like a yoga teacher… I’m not a runner”. But I started thinking differently about that. Started thinking how I’m going to run, I’m a runner. And I think that it’s the same with finances to get comfortable
Finances are a part of my life and I’m in charge of my finances. You have to be very intentional about it.
Not only talk about running/finances (start talking about it with someone you feel comfortable with, maybe even a female mentor or a financial mentor… a financial person you really look up to and you’re close with. The more you talk about it the more comfortable you’re going to be about having it in your lives.)
That small step of talking about is is going to be key. Listen, journal, and bring it into your life as a part of your life.
Start small… listen to one financial podcast, read one article in the wallstreet journal about finances (idk about that source, but okay)…
And then soon in your phone they’ll feed this to you and I’ll be comfortable to you because you’ve read a few article
AHHHH! ALGOS TAKING OVER
As women, we love to think about gratitude… but incorporating finances like that into our life, its really key
How can we naturally empower each other to thrive?
Talking about finances is really difficult. And women were only able to get their own credit cards in 1974, it’s not too long ago and we’re not practiced in those conversations….
But just like we have walking groups, book clubs, we can get women together to talk about finances. Goals and investing. Start centering finances in your life.
Not just pride in someone else’s job, make your finances your job. As you keep doing that, it will get more and more comfortable.
Talking about money has been considered taboo, probably only some of us in this room jsut started this, or haven’t had this convo at all… where do we begin to start with basics and a plan?
Start with intention first, incorporating that into your lives
Really simple things can help organize your brain around it.
I did Marie Kondo’s closet thing, I think of that with finances in the same way. Start small and start thinking about what is important to you. What do you need and what doesn’t bring you joy? What can you let go of?
If you think about it int hat way, you can organize your fiancé’s in that way
“Money brings me joy” my neighbor says
What income do you have coming in? What expenses are you spending?
Once you do have additional money set aside, you can think: “What money do I have that is meant for spending? Preservation? Grow for the long term for my children for whatever purpose or goal that I’ve set for myself in the future?
Start with really realistic goals in the beginning so you can feel a sense of achievement
Then you can go from there and find it’s real not that hard
Trusting someone with your money can feel very scary… how do you feel about finding a financial partner you can actually trust
Start with your credit union or your bank. They have staff employed to be a financial planner, financial coach
Start with an institution you already trust and work within that system… you know they are qualified
Don’t go to cousin or sister, they’re not qualified to give you that advice
Wowww…. I AM LIKE OKAY. I just don’t like this advice either. I think it’s okay to talk to your family, friends… AND these people, at least a bit. But like, as many people as possible, almost, till you feel you’re finding your feet. And do lots of research. Not just ONLY YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR. Who knows what their goals are? And their bosses goals, if they’re too naive. Or bosses bosses goals… it’s just like, not always the only option - and talking to loved ones is a good idea too. Take all this same advice below (don’t invest too much, etc) but do it with other things too - not ONLY FINANCIAL ADVISORS. I told you guys, I have had two quit on me… but ever since I started doing ym own finances I’m making more money than before. You can trust yourself to be smart. And follow your own values.
When you sit one-on-one with that person, at the bank, they’ll learn about you. You don’t always make good choices. They will help you save and coach you. You will start feeling better.
Other than stocks and 401k, what should you invest in?
Go to your financial institution and find out the tools they have for investing?
Ask them how much to invest.
Gahh!! I don’t like this advice. I mean, of course talk to some people. But I don’t think this is good advice to just totally trust your financial advisor. What about thinking for yourself? Learning tools to think for yourself? It can work!! I know it for a fact with myself. Teaching and learning for yourself can work too. But of course they don’t recommend that here - it’s more “rely only our advisors!! its their job to do this”.
Wouldn’t you say like, learn for yourself each day, and work with an advisor too - feel permission and empowerment to learn. It’s fun and important and you save so much money not paying these fees and they sound small but they REALLY ADD UP OVER THE YEARS!!! (hahah, I mean, I wish they’d un-sell themselves and just be honest about a person’s ability to trust themselves and think for themselves and make gains on their own.)
You can download an app that helps you start small. Don’t go right into the big investments or try to become a day trader. Start small and talk to people you trust.
Take some risks, but take measured risks.
Who owns these apps? And why not learn a bit about stocks? Everyone laughed when she said don’t try to be a day trader… but of course it’s that reaction. So few women take time to learn about stocks. I ended up sharing with my table later, saying that I had success with stocks so idk, feel permission to try.
Going into business, as a small business owner, how do you balance finances with family?
Control.
How can you take control and know what you want to build for yourself and your family and your business?
First going into private practice, I didn’t have that. I went into working with family, my father. The perspective he brought was very different than the one I’d learned.
He had a different experience in the 80s than I do now, trying to meet the financial professional and family requirements.
I could have started earlier talking about “what do finances need to look like and what tools do I need to keep growing?”
I wish I could say it gets easier… it doesn’t
The good news is that the tools are getting better… more for us to use and so it can feel overwhelming.
Having a good team at your bank or financial advisor, what might be right for you in your circumstance… and what works for your cousin Tonya isn’t going to work for you.
Keep your options open and be aware that their silver bullet might not work for you.
Planing and prepping… life doesn’t always go as planned. How can women prepare themselves for the unexpected life?
We recommend to put away 3-6 months of funds for any kind of emergency, things that may come up.
If you have a partner (or not) what does that look like? Think about the other things in addition to the financial.
Have a contingency plan if someone should lose a job and there’s no income coming in… are you just going to use up all of the funds or what is going to happen? What is that going to look like for you?
Have a plan communicated
Have a plan set
Know where everything is for estate funding. Where are your assets? Do you have a master spreadsheet and list so you know all the accounts you have.
My husband has a storage unit and I can note tell you for the life of me where it is.
When things do go wrong, how do we start to recover and find peace in times of financial stress?
Breathe.
If you need help, get help. And know you will recover.
All of us have encountered some sort of medical issue, divorce, death… breathe, refer to your plan that my colleagues talked about. Take it one step at a time.
Mental health, thrown into this, take care of your mental health. IF you’re stressed and freaking, you’re not going to follow a plan anyway and make it harder to recover.
Remind yourself that you’re not alone. It feels so isolating and like everyone else but you has it together.
Everyone else doesn’t have it tougher. We all have issues.
Determine what step you need to take, one step at a time (the crowd gives an applause)
Planning for the future isn’t just about expecting the unexpected… estate planning is surrounded by a lot of misconceptions. But maybe you think you’re too young or you’ve already got a will. But what is an estate plan and who needs one?
Everyone needs one who is over 18. It’s a plan for your stuff.
What do you want to happen to it? Where do you want it to go?
Who is in charge of getting it there?? DO you have powers of attorney?
If something happens to you or your partner, who is the person stepping in to make financial decisions for you or your partner.
Who is the person stepping in to make health decisions for you if you can not?
Those of you who have small children or small businesses, these documents make it easier for you to breathe after an emergency. YOu’ve got a plan in place and you’ve got people lined up to help you.
You’ve got people going to step in and help with financial affairs if necessary.
Things happen all the time… and if you don’t have a plan, the state of Washington does. It’s often not one people want. YOu’d rather your own decision happen instead of state law.
Most of the people in the room do not have an Estate plan. So, is an estate plan necessary if you don’t have assets?
Yes! Regardless, for a couple of reasons.
Washington Law is going to determine how they are distributed. It might to the people you want it to go to, but maybe not in a way you want it to go to them. Like it could go into a custodial account until a certain age. That’s an important reason.
Typically the will is the [lace for your designated guardians. That’s where you say who you want your kids to live with.
You have an estate administration, to get assets to loved ones… your ‘will’ lets you pick a personal representative in charge of that. Pick who is most approved for that job and put them in charge.
“I don’t have assets, just 401k… etc” but you want to have beneficial designation.
Make sure you have appropriate beneficiary designations. So it goes to the people we want to pass to.
Update your estate plan as your balance sheet changes, you have children, you start/sell a business, etc… milestones in your life, ask if your plan still works for you.
Maybe every 5-10 years, as tax laws change or as peopel become unqualified (like maybe your parents are getting older and may no longer be qualified to take care of your kids)
The “sandwich” generation: raising our own families while taking care of our own parents.
Seeing people in this situation sounds challenging.. how do we take care of our family without neglecting our own family’s health.
Make sure both generations have powers of attorney in place.
If you are in charge of both generations (your parents and your kid) your life will be easier with a power of attorney in place saying you can make financial for healthcare decisions, otherwise you’ll have to provide legal authors nonstop if you can’t do both.
When you get sick, people need to fight to stand up for you if they have power of attorney (healthcare or whatever)
Her friend is 23 and her mom had to fight nonstop with the hospital for the decisions to be made.
Who has legal authority to step in and make decision for you?
What changes? Turning over 18!!
Have documents in place for people in your life where you’re sandwiched between two generations.
Classic oldest daughter:
The well prepared family: super helpful when getting organized to help your ow family and parents… what are your doctors? Where do you have bank accounts? Investment accounts? CPA’s?
Collect all that info in one place so you have your arms around their assets and their medical/finacnial picture, should you need to jump in and help them.
Make sure that more than one person knows where it is. You never know. You may not want to be the one and only person to get that information
EMCEE: “this is great, I wish I was sitting and I could take notes, but I’ll just remember it all”
EMCEE: Women tend to live longer, one positive thing, but we face unique challenges. Single women managing on one income… how can they prioritize savings when they are dealing with just a single income?
I was laughing when I was preparing for this, I was jealous looking at all I had to do to prepare myself…
You want to make sure that what resources/assets you do have, it goes to whomever you want it to go to
You want to have something to plan for… even though you’re single, you’re living life. You want to go on trips, buy a house.. if something happens bad, you want a plan for that. Sometimes when we think of if you want to go travel Europe and different continents, you don’t need to save for all of that in a month, start small and start easy. If you wanna go and just save for that, if you wanna have savings for that emergency, you don’t have to save half of your paycheck, just save a little bit and start building that savings.
If you wanna invest, start easy and slow
One income is difficult, start as small as you can and then build on that. But most of you here today have plans for advancements. Start where you are. Be proud of that and pat yourself on the back
Btw - I think this is crazy advice… like???? I’d say “find ways to do it that pay you off more than one.. can you find a way to make money while doing thsese things — not just save up for a trip!!! This crazy advice!! Its just not even helping the root of the problem
The envelope strategy = automatically set aside a small amount of your paycheck.
The less thinking you have to do, teh better. Each paycheck.
That works for me and helpfully works for others too.
EMCEE: Switching gears, many of us are leaders in our company. This puts us in the position to drive change. We have the opportunity and responsibly to create environments where financial literacy and empowerment are accessible to everyone in the environment. How can people support growth?
I’m like LOLLL CHASE IS THE REASON WE DON’T HAVE FINANCIAL LITERACY IN SCHOOLS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
Take advantage of opportunities working with financial advisors and professionals. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the sheer amount of info, I just need a guide
I need someone to help me fair it out (This is the lawyer talking).
Most people feel 8/10 confident to lead their own finances) the audience here
Don’t always try to do things as cheap as possible, do it right from the very beginning. It can be smart o go to professionals from the beginning.
EMCEE: Are there any effective resources or programs companies can use to help employees who are struggling financially?
Our employees will talk with their colleagues about their goals.
Our EAP has mental health, financial counselors, financial planners… we give that resources so employees can have an open conversation about their finances and fiancnail wealth.
As a leader of an organization , I gotta think about the privacy concerns.
- We expanded in our EAP and invested in that to provide more resources to our employees.
Finally: last advice
When you’re married, have a seat at the table and learn how your family’s financial picture works.
Don’t be a perfectionist, focus on being consistent. Have something you can do consistently every week or every day just to always be ontop of wherever you are at, it helps you mentally and with your financial health.
You don’t need the perfect or right answer, you just need teh answer right in that scenario, things will change. SO make sure you have the framework in place in a way that doesn’t hurt the status quo before and after you do the work
Remember, this is a journey. So take that first step, take one thing, and start somewhere… and then build your journey. Remember, sometimes journeys may take different turns, U-turns, you may go back where you started. That’s okay, just ride the journey and take your time.
EMCEE: So much free advice, thank you!! I was taking notes furiously and now I have a long to do list.
We were told to talk about favorite financial decisions at our tables…
I told them about Netflix, dogecoin, amc/GME- how listening to my instincts is working well so far, so feel permission to try.
Sometimes women do have the instinct (but they feel they need to trust their husbands)… but we can be a little good at stuff too. Trust yourself instead of second guessing… sometimes you can accomplish more as a partnership (rather than saying, “he’s the man, he knows what he’s doing” - partnership hadn’t in hand, you can really see the difference in that.
He knows what he’s doing, I’m not going to mess with that…
Gig work, little revenue, got married (no revenue, but plenty of love)
Landed a commercial and was able to buy a home
Did gig work and raised kids, wasn’t building up revenue or savings…
Then 4 years ago went back into the worse force… I made the assumption, suddenly realizing the financial side and making more money… now I realize I need to carve out time to get back in there.. some of the decisions that are being made, as my husband doesn’t do quite the same future-facing things I’d do (but I realize w’ere not doing all of these things in my own family).
It’s hard to feel like you have a say when it’s not your money… shared accounts, but still you want a seat at the table with ideas
A lot of times my husband is good at present moment fixing the problem, but I look at longterm. We need to mash it together.
Breaktime:
Talked to a Wealth Advisor
Talked about kids content, financial literacy content and tutoring
The steps to start a business, etc. One lady wants to start her own business but has no clue how to start. She jokingly asked if I’d teach her, hahaha. Of course I would be happy to… but, you know! Let’s see haha.
INVEST IN YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
Physical Health
Different hospitals are here to speak, cancer centers
CEO of a medical center is here to be the EMCEE…
does she have something better to do?? Lol! The CEO!!! Of a hospital, in these times? Haha. Omg. Right?? I feel like she just wants to do something fun and take a break from it all… but idk. that’s not the job of the CEO, right? To moderate an event like this?? Idk, maybe that’s just me.
question: The best thing you all can do for your health, right now, is to make sure you have a primary care provider. Wherever that is, the most important thing you can do is make sure you have a strong primary care provider to help you guide your healthcare. Remember that if that’s the one thing you take away from today.
- I agree but disagree… you should lean on the medical industry some, but what about nutritionists? Healthy lifestyle? Everyone here profits off of sickness, and continued sickness (their companies)
INTRODUCTIONS of PANELISTS
Cancer center representative, so happy to be here
lol of course you’re happy to be here and promote your company!!!
Epidemiologist from the cancer center, studies different disesases
Trained as a physician, trained in cancer treatment, now a professor and director of a website, and one other thing I didn’t hear
The president of a children’s hospital
Big round of introductions and applause for these women, thanks for your time to e with custody
Women have to account for childbirth, menopause… many common health conditions affect women differently than men. But women are typically more proactive with their health, especially preventative health visits. Still, it’s’ challenging to stay on top of your health and follow the changing guidelines.
Today we’ll start out with recommendations for preventative services… what are basic foundations specific to women:
Agreed, its so important to have a primary care provider
So many patients come to us after they have cancer diagnoses, and have no primary care provider… there are so many choices.
US Preventative Task Force: a group off experts to prevent disease and prolong life. Their advice is based off of evidence which we generate all the time. We help care providers make decisions. They help people focus on prevention.
None of us want a cancer diagnosis.
Cervical Cancer (21-29, get a Pap test every 3 years)… 30-65, get a test every 3-5 years, same with HPV too.
Pregnant or planning shoudl take 400/800 micrograms of folic acid every day.
Sexually active women should get screened for STD’s (ghonnarea and clamidia)
LOL this is so literal!!
Women shoudl be screened for partner violence. We see this commonly.
Women shoudl be screened for unhealthy alcohol uses. There are no healthy levels of alcohol levels at this point. The recommendations are not to have more than one serving of alcohol per day at all.
It used to be thought that alcohol is preventative for heart disease, it’s not true
Counseling is recommended for mental health. Get support.
Those recommendations were so specific. I feel like I’m at the doctor right now!!
Breast cancer screening guidelines:
A sore point with a lot of women cause they revise them all the time, 2009, 2016, 2024
Have screening mammograms every 2 years, after 74… maybe additional
But don’t mammograms cause cancer!?!?!?!?
African American women who come down with breast cancer, their mortality is 40% higher than other racial groups.
Women with dense breast tissue.
OF COURSE!!!! THEY SAY THAT BREAST CANCER COMES FROM SQUISHING THE BREASTS TOO HARD THAT THE TUMOR POPS. THEY JUST DONT WANT TO ADMIT IT- IT WILL DESTROY THEIR INDUSTRY. ITS TRENDING ALL OVER THE INTERNET LATELY AND I SEE SO MANY NURSES AND DOCTORS COMING FORWARD ADMITTING THIS!!
Ovarian screening:
Nothing recommends, just if someone has symptoms is what we can do
A number of tests haven’t shown any benefit in the population level.
The guidelines aren’t perfect… so where does risk play into this? As we think on an individual basis.
Advise women, empower themselves, and know their own risk
Risk calculation models are available for women to find out their risk
You can find out your mamogram report, family history, if you ever had previous biapsies that show diagnosis… it will have a calculated formula and know your risk.
THIS IS MAKING ME SO ANGRY BECAUSE OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS IN BREAST CANCER RESEARCH INDUSTRY, the whistleblowing. How all these whistleblowers are coming forward about the dangers of mammograms!! AND they don’t talk about it here!! Just seems 100% worth looking into and at least acknowledging!!
Should everyone do genetic testing?
Know what you risk is.
Do people even know the level of horror than can go into DNA sharing? So many sketchy DNA companies out there and then suddenly the CEO’s quit and they go missing. They are using the DNA for all sorta of things.
Every woman shoudl be entitled to figure out their risk, if it’s over 20% maybe consider testing.
OVER 20%!!! That’s so low IMO!! Idk. Seems like really off to me.
Women come in without family histories and they have genetic mutations
You submit your DNA to companies and they test your DNA
It test to see if your DNA contains a mutation, and where those mutations occur is in the parts of the DNA called repair DNA, then they take out the part that is incorrect and then replace it. IF those areas are mutated, we can’t fix the DNA… those mutations usually lead to multiple cancers. Breast, thyroaid and more… the testing shoudl be done on high risk individuals.
IDK I just dont know who are these peopel gathering your DNA info!!
What about all this data coming out that other countries are using DNA to make specific illnesses?
Don’t you want to hold some of this info careful and private to you? Can’t this be taken advantage of?? We are so trusting with the medical industry, especially hospitals/doctors.
Back to alcohol consumption… what if you save it all up for one day?
No binging allowed. It doesn’t work like that.
Another buzz word recently is “integrated medicine”, what is that? How do you implement certain aspects of it practice into your own life and work?
Originally trained as a natrualopathic surgeon… it depends on testing integrated medicine approaches.
Improving women’s health, portfolio is focused on women.
It takes the whole body approach to support and empower peopel to have a healthy life for many, many years.
Acupuncture, healthy eating, good sleep, tea, counseling, appropriate dietary supplements.
Lots of companies make claims about what they can do for your health without a lot of data… instead we look at food as medicine
We recommend physical activity. Very rarely advocating for dietary supplements.
Integrated medicine can be used for disease prevention. We don’t want you to get this disease in the first place, but if you do get the disease, we can do integrated medicine to support management and support their treatment to adequately manage it.
We can support peopel towards the end of their life to live the healthiest life possible given their constraints.
Okay… at least this is all sounding a bit better- FINALLY!! Minus the supplements not recommended. I think that’s bologna.
There are ways to use physicality, nutrition, mind/body techniques.
Let’s talk more about Nutrition…. We know “healthy foods” help prevent cancer and increase survivorship… what does that look like to those of us out here? What does that mean?
It’s all about moderation.
The AICR is the guiding light, and cancer society, they put out general guidelines for survivor and prevnetion, they’re about the same
We try to promote these principles…. Everything is about moderation
You don’t need to be vegan or vegetarian, but focus on a lot of plants. Getting fiber nutreous plants. A lot of whole grains, fruits and veggies (5-9 servings a day), beans lentils
Chicken, fish…
Things in moderation
Idk about this!!! So much fruit? Everyone is different.
Decrease junk foods, alcohol intake, and
not using dietary supplements to prevent/treat cancer cause we don’t have good evidence
Unreal!! It is just the more you look outside of the box and you hear peoplE share their experiences, you’re like.. ummmm. Yeah!! This makes sense that nature can solve you. Again, I only see this online (so it may not be real - but if it is) SO MANY PEOPLE account and say that like “more pumpkin seeds” and such literally cure their cancers. Like these random foods, the peels of stuff, seeds - they prevent and heal when done right. But the helathcare industry will lose all their money if these cheap things work. It’s all a cycle and monopoly of withholding info… so even here, they’re like “no supplements dont work, dont even try, dont even research, just trust us doctors.”
I’m sick of that attitude and mindset towards it. So business focused!!
I’m not a big instagram user but I heard of eating 30 plants a week. With kids, it can be fun to see what they eat.
Dietary Suppliments: is it harmful?
It can be harmful if the supplements aren’t actually doing anything.
Most supplements don’t help with most conditions.
If you have cancer and you’re taking supplements that you didnt talk with your provider about, that can be harmful.
WOWWWWW I’m like what the heck!?! This is so so crazy. I just feel like they’re such a business and they’re just like - don’t even look at it!! No!! Don’t try. Trust the doctors. Trust our research. We don’t have time to look into that.
Particularly with women, fibroids and endometriosis… can you tell us a bit more about those two conditions and how you screen for them?
Fibroids: a noncancerous tumor that can occur in your uterus.
They commonly tend to lead to heavy menstrual bleeding
By 70 years old, 60-70% of women have a diagnosis.
Impact different ways, you may need to get a hystorectomy
Endometriosis: a condition where tissues similar to what grows in the uterus grows where it shouldn’t. It can cause a lot of pain or contribute to not beign able to have kids.
Typically 7 years between pain and diagnosis.
Women’s pain is often not taken seriously. We’re told it’s’ normal pain, take these oral contraceptives, it’ll solve the problem. But we’re learning that’s not always true more and more.
Underfunded from a research perspective.
OF COURSE cause cheap cures, healing, it will make these dominating industries lose money when their patients quickly heal. No, they need to be dependent on the industry.
Women continue to experience healthcare disparities. Disadvantages in cardiovascular and maternal health, especially minority groups. Many women have experience where they felt the doctors didn’t listen or completely dismissed them. How can we advocate for ourselves when we feel this happening in the healthcare space? What can we be saying to these providers to be sure they’re listening?
There’s a ton of info to be aware of, so as you establish your care team, be prepared.
Understanding your medical history. Meet with your family and relatives and know the conditions that exist in your family.
The conspiracist in me says they use this history to let mistakes happen that seem “in trend” so no one asks questions.
Sometimes there is a rushed visit with providers, so you can ask questions online or ask nurses.
There is a point where some of you have to say, “Is this the right relationship” that you have with your caretaker. Sometimes you may not feel listened to and so you change providers. IT’s okay, you own your health and have to control the situation at your end to make sure your voice is being heard.
Having a support group is another piece. Going through menopause there are some trying times. Having other women that have gone through it, older, can give integrated approach advice and knowing what sets off the hot flashes at night… unfortunately its red wine, so I can’t have red wine anymore.
Make sure you understand your body and know that others are going through similar symptoms as you are.
Your relationship with your PCP is important. We try our best as healthcare providers, but w struggle with every spect of human relationships.
It’s okay to switch PCPs
Move on. It happens much. More than you think. Don’t allow a relationship with a healthcare provider to be something you can’t break. You can breakup.
MENOPAUSE:
Hot flashes… night sweats:
Alcohol makes it worse, different forms can… even nonalcoholic
Sugar… sorry about this one. It can also make hotflashes worse. Experiment with that.
Eating some sort of protein right before bed can help moderate hot sweats at night.
Wake up drenched in the morning wondering where you went wrong, that’s where you went wrong
Women in pain are much more likely to receive prescriptions for sedatives rather than pain medications. Why is that? And specifically what does/should a pain assessment look like in a woman vs. a man?
Some things weren’t included in the initial studies. There is a lack of recommendation in this that makes symptoms look different on different people
Pain is normalized with women. Pain with your period is normal. But we need to get away from the idea that pain which impacts your life is normal. It depends on the age and conditoin of the person.
Understand the source and the cause of the pain, then try approaches that can be helping promote health. Big fans of acupuncture, doesn’t interfere with anything. It can be very relaxing. WA State has very good coverage for acupuncture.
Only lower back pain is covered for a lot of things at the moment
Also some dietary changes can be really helpful… testing whether diet is based on “healthy eating” the healthy diet as described… can that improve pain on people who are already sick. Lots of inflammation and notable pain.
Yes… healthy diets can improve pain that happens outside of menstrual cycles. Pain in general can be improved when you have a healthy diet.
MENTAL HEALTH:
Impacts women differently than men. We can discuss how folks best can take care of themselves and their own emotional wellbeing.
Everyone in this room has a stressful job… can we speak to the health benefits of work/life balance?
Schedule time for yourself. Schedule around the element of speaking in positive words.
We have a habit when we get stressed to bring in negative thoughts. Know when that trigger happens and how you warp it into loving, positive encouragements. Add those elements and pause.
Setting boundaries is another piece. Especially starting your career, or with kids, as you progress… the elements of knowing you have boundaries of your personal time. Peopel know when I’m away from the hospital, I’m off! I dont’ look at my email. You have to set boundaries with your team so you can recoup your mind back to a healthy state.
Healthy habits are another piece. I have to have a trainer that tells me what to do to make sure I get exercise. Yoga, hikes, those things are in place.
It’s helpful for me to have a group of women in similar professions as me. We meet 2-3 times a year to share our horror stories.
Just talk about life without getting into the business.
Intentional self reflection. Even 2.5 hours to step back and say “What happened the past year”, working with a facilitator and look at your photos from the past year. What kind of feelings do you have looking at the month-by-month photos. Are you enjoying the moments in your life with your family, friends, and team members?
Go through the wheel assessment. Spirit, finance, environment, etc… those are important and critical things to track and see what we need to spend more time in.
We looked at this in the planning 2025 successful blog
Once piece of advice in the last 50 seconds:
You are your best advocate
Sugar is bad and you can’t binge drink on the weekends
Disagree with sugar being totally bad for you. That is so old school thinking. I think sugar in isolation and moderation can have benefits.
Try to move every day in every way you can, preferably with people
Add strength training to that… as we age our muscles dissolve. Stay strong and get strong. Strength training twice a week.
Mental health, take care of yourself, reflect, and enjoy moments in life.
RELFECT ON SPEECHES WITH TABLE:
When you advocate for yourself?
Listening to health podcasts (I just wonder who is the money)
Reprogramming the way to think positively mentally.
I brought up the breast cancer stuff with the table. I talked about how this is trending online, but everyone said no - just listen to professionals, not friends or influencers.
But I was saying how it’s not influencers, it’s whistle blowing people in the industry. But they didnt’ want to hear it and actually a few people got upset that I said this at all.
But online lately, I see a lot of women in the healthcare industry, especially for women healthcare, exposing mammograms.
It’s all over my feeds!! Nonstop. These doctors and healthcare professionals are admitting that the mammogram procedure kicks off the breast cancer more often than not, cause it squished the breast too hard in the process and it bursts the tumor open… before the mammogram it was fine. And apparently a lot of the industry knows this but if they admit it they’ll lose all funding and self implode in credibility, its why its being delayed. So, idk just seems its becoming more common knowledge and I wanna see what they thoguht about it. But everyone at my table shut me down instantly.
Who am I to say what’s right or wrong, but in the slight chance I am right - isn’t that worth listening to? Stop getting mamograms too??? I’m just sick of peopel being so close minded and dismissive, but it’s okay. Hahah. I dont mind just pushing forward and learning more.
Why is it so wrong to consider this, “what if it was true”? And why don’t we work for a better world? Not just so much trust in “professionals” so we can talk about something else. Frustrating to me.
Just feel like people should be more open minded to other opinions - especially the opinion and possibility that not every corporation is working with your best interest in mind!!Maybe not, but I mean… it’s so many people that it’s at least worth looking into and researching!!
Instead they jsut say “no… listen to professionals.” Geeze. I think professionals ARE bravely stepping forward. Maybe it’s fake, but maybeit’s not. It’s worth learning about and listening to and caring for yourself.
Their reaction reminds me of the “pro” side of the annexing the fire the other day from my blog. They were just like, “no! Annex it. It’s the best choice, our only choice, we’ve talked about this since December. Move on! No more questions. Enough already.” I felt like that was the subconscious reaction from them.
NEXT TOPIC: SOCIAL CAPITAL
What does it mean? Strengthen your relationships with your family, friends, and colleagues to build your access to social captial
Here are elective directors, board members, leaders of sports commissions, and nonprofits
Introductions:
The women introduce themselves, one leads the sports community connecting everyone. Working with teams and universities to bring in huge sporting events like next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Social capital and social connections, community, it means the opportunity to celebrate with people around you. You don’t have to be with your best friends or family… sports unite us in a way that many other things can’t. You can be at a Seahawks game by yourself, but when something happens you can high-five your neighbor, give them a hug, it’s a special community we often take for granted
Private philanthropy brand banking. Help lead the team with national and local investments around behavioral health in kids. She has a lot of communities, sports teams… and I think about the community and the people who keep me sane. The people who can’t handle overwhelming concepts. Those people I can call in different corners of my life and talk through the times I feel like I’m being crazy.
Nonprofit representative who also works at Microsoft.
She wants to inspire young women and girls to use their voices and make changes happen
WHAT HAPPENED TO LISTENING TO PEOPEL AND OUTSIDE THINKERS HAHAH geezeeee
Moved here 11 years ago, and at that time, the community is where I go for info and support to make Seattle my new home. Over the years, it has evolved to play where I find a source of energy and strength. Inspiration to get through challenges in life. Even reflecting on this topic, preparing for this panel discussion, I think I define myself through the communities I’ve been a part of. Cause I connect and share common goals with those people. It shapes my life and who I am, who I am becoming. It’ll influence my journey along the way.
Focuses on health and wellness, community is a tool she uses to anchor in her lifebox (like a toolbox). When she’s connected to community, she thrives.
It’s a place you know you’re cared for.
This was highlighted in her coaching career. She was coaching fitness athletes one on one and they were getting great results and winning competitions.
But 8 years later she started a team and a sisterhood of community, women competing together.
She noticed each athlete thrived longer and further because they were plugged into support with other women with similar goals who cared about each other, inspired them, held them accountable, and cheered for them.
Those friendships lasted for decades. That’s the impact and that’s why I’m so passionate about community.
Build and maintain a strong social circle + chosen family. It can be difficult and uncomfortable, how do you foster this?
Privileged spending the career in the beauty industry.
The young women I work with today, I think this morning reflecting on my career, are those early mentors I had. Women who were particularly tough on me. I may not have always loved the tone they used when they wanted me to zig when I was zagging. I kano they believed in me and their coaching came from a place where they can see my potential and want me to get there.
I’m grateful for that community.
Chinese perspective, there’s a Chinese word but no English translation… the connection to get people together, how do you make it long lasting and deep? It refers to a concept of fate… relationships happen for a reason and they’re part of your destiny. Good or bad, it always means something, brings you something, and you learn from it. It gives you a special experience that shapes you who are today. Life is formed with thousands of those, so be open and embrace it.
It’s magical, it symbolizes what relationships can lead us to.
These relationships can bring you something wonderful, maybe not today but some day.
The audience claps and cheers
Do you find it difficult to ask for help? Did you have to suck it up and ask for help before?
My mindset was to suck it up and do work, instead of asking for help.
Early in my career, I had the belief that if I had to ask for help, I failed. But when you’re high achieving to begin with, and you get a lot of valiadtion that you can do so much and you’re amazing… you hit a threshold where you feel you can’t do it all yourself. It is difficult to bridge that gap early on and say you need help. But I’ll say that I had a phenomenal mentor, my first boss, in a professional career - they really coached me that asking for help is the sign of a good leader. No one person has all the skills to make the job a success or get the most potential out of it.
Many times I have to ask for help and still do, and sometimes till struggle thinking I got it all.
How can leaning on others help you become a better person?
Now’a’day’s I’m not so afraid of asking for help.
We’re moving from a “know it all” to a “learn it all”
Asking for help is showing curiosity and the interest to learn from other people. Leaning on others is a way for you to get help and learn, which is far more important. There are things others are definitely better at than you. You can leverage those strengths and create much better zealot because of that.
Asking for help… it doesnt’ need to be about you. A lot of the time pride keeps us from asking for help.
All those years coaching women, it takes humility on the others part to be vulnerable and open to ask for help. What if they struggled with pride and never asked me for help.
So many times you hear women thank the team, it’s not all about you
Regardless of how confident someone is, odds are they’re still afraid of failure…
I’m so passionate about hits topic because it’s one of the #1 psychological barriers that prevents us from achieving our goals
Here in the same venue, a year ago, I led a ted talk about how training for failure leads to success.
We have to trail until failure to win. Learn to reframe failure as an opportunity to win.
We need to do it in order to grow.
In my athletic career I’ve won 11 champion titles and lost 43 of them. 43 losses and the work every time I didn’t win to get back to the table. It’s so important, you have to shift your mindset to see opportunites to take action to take risks.
Action is important.
EMCEE: I wanna go fail at something now!!
What things do you do to support others when they’re afraid of failing:
Use the power signal… (when you think you’re going to win, feeling so confident you’re going to get it right) there’s usually a feeling or something you say, for me, “let’s go!” So in a moment of fear, shift to place of confidence and say “let’s go” and it’ll increase your likelihood of succeeding.
Self-esteem and resilience. We have experts come in and teach these specific tactics.
Write down what they are afraid of. Then share with the peers and realize everyone has fears and they’re probably very similar
Talk about how they cope with fears and can learn from each other.
Talk about the concept that you’re usually your own biggest critique, so how can you shift that mindset and practice self-love and change the story you’re telling yourself.
We need to be role models for other and practice what we preach. It’s the power of community to remind each other and share best practices to overcome fears.
It’s a lifelong journey and your community can help each other. Across generations we’ll all get better one day at a time.
Lately thinking a lot about “overwhelming” as an idea. Social media, work, family, sweating all the time…
It feels like the volume is at 11, so when I think of supporting my communities, vulnerability when you’re overwhelmed is harder to muster.
You risk rejection and disappointment and judgement.
The people in our lives who fill our tanks are how we keep going and carry on as leaders.
Cultivating communities and relationships means showing up, basics, paying attention when someone may need it. Little intentions add up.
What does failure mean to you? What is the threshold?
Then what do you aim for when you separate both failure and success… failure isn’t likely, so work towards your expectations.
Tease apart if something failed or didn’t meet expectations… it doesn’t mean everything is a failure, just a piece.
Your own self esteem and how you present yourself, you won’t meet expectations, so it’s important to be able to separate yourself to be able to move through things.
INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
How does this impact your life, responsibilities, and priorities?
End of 2022 mom and dad were on vacation in Germany. My dad fell, had brain bleeding, and was in a coma for 3 weeks in Germany. Woke up severely disabled. Coudlnt’ walk or feed himself.
So now the past 2 years I go back to help out.
Two days before christmas this year he passed away. My mom moved in with us. Shoutout to my wife for being cool with that.
It’s been really interesting.
Now that mom is here, what I’m realizing is that she moves at a slower pace. I’ve realized it’s really good for me.
She said (she’s 78) she’s starting a new chapter in her life. “I wonder what I’m going to be good at” she said to me… and I realize I need that same mindset.
What have you learned from an older generation?
I’d say to my sister: I can’t walk this slow!!! How is this possible!? But it’s good for our nervous system to walk slow. Your mom is helping you to down regulate.
There are positive pieces to it. You can learn so many incredible things from both of your parents.
Treat your pace as a gift. Learn from your parent what works and doesn’t work for them.
Let the next 30 years meet your own expectations
Words to describe mentors: wise, bold, spunky, ballsy, understanding, accountable, intentional, resilient, positive, strong, open, badass, trailblazer, guide, brilliant, vulnerable, encouraging, trustworthy, open to sharing, honest, great listener, fearless, empathetic, humble, wise, open minded, guide, patient, relefctive
YOUNGER GENERATOINS
Lots of issues we know exist, but don’t know how significantly it impacts their lives.
They’re so aware and committed. They know it’s not acceptable and they want to change it.
Sit back and be a better listener
Let them work and learn, just be encouraging and only give advice if they ask
MENTORSHIP:
Always seek mentors in every aspect of life (spirit, fitness, business)
Success leaves clues
If you’re trying to achieve something, look at who has already done it.
Start asking questions to the people who are all the things you want to become.
Share how your work is going and your progress. Open up and be vulnerable
Over the course of years your relationship develops, and those people will care for you as you go through your journey, as well.
Commonality is what we tend to migrate towards.
The biggest body building competition in the world is right here in this venue. Iconic involvement
EMOTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE / MENTAL HEALTH
It used to be taboo to talk about emotions at work, but now we’re shifting for advocacy for a balance.
Allowing emotions into the workplace is a tremendous opportunity for women’s leadership in particular.
We’ve all been there, trying to push inflated balls under the water, but the moment you let go it hits someone and gives a black eye. iT’s the same as emotions.
Not that workplaces should be therapy, but we should be focused on our opportunity to have something called “psychological safety”
Studies show that cultivated vulnerability and psychological safety makes teams most great: I feel I can show up as my authentic self, fail, ask questions
As women leaders, cultivate that
EMCEE: Speaking of being human (lol) we nonstop information. Social media can be harmful. How do you stay properly informed without letting it dominate your mood and attention span?
We all have to find our own coping technique regardless of news and what’s difficult for you to process
Hahah dang!! What a way to say it
Monitor your news intake and have guard rails.
Work hard to recognize that there is “the other side of it” and we’ve all heard this before. Be able to put yourself in other shoes. Work to find common ground.
Recently heard an interview on NPR with someone who had a different political lean than I… this person was very rational, very articulate, and it caught me off guard. I want to have the mindset that this person doesn’t know what they’re talking about cause they think differently… but I realize there are a lot of smart, articulate, well educated peopel out there who think different than me
It’s been helpful as I look at this process.
Final question: advice to build fulfilling relationships
The gem has been cultivating vulnerability. Be honest and get real about who you are. People like real, they have to feel like they know you. It takes vulnerability.
Be open to longterm relationships. New connections may last a lifetime and lead you to new possibilities. New magic in life.
Always be mindful cause you don’t know what other people are carrying. Be open as they come to you.
Everyone one of us brings our own unique energy to our lives and the peopel around us.
Trust in your own energy and being authentic. Too often we are looking at having to be acertian way or connect in a certain manner to have relationships.
Trust on your own energy putting good things out into the world and you’ll find like-aligned energy
Know your value and share it. If you are in a position right now where you’re not sure of your value, ask a trusted friend and they’ll give you an earful about how much value you have. Then share it, share your communities
There was more to this event but I felt like leaving. I didn’t want to stay for another social time, then a keynote, then the happy hour. I felt like it was enough and I wanted to get home and have some time before I had to turn into “mommy-mode” again!
Overall Event Ratings- Elaborated:
Venue: (5/5)
Allow me to Elaborate: This was a perfect sized venue that had the “wow factor” that these planners seemed to want to go for. It felt like everyone should be in gowns, you know? Very luxury premier look.. perfect sized for the setup. It was a tiny bit cold, but, that’s life. Not enough to knock down a point.
Food: (2.5/5)
Room for Improvement: The food was delicious but not too substantial. It was a like 90% vegan/vegetarian (which I feel like it’s just cost-saving). And then their protein was chicken, again cost-saving. I’d like a bit more protein in there or meat or fish or something. Instead, it was just a lot of salads and chicken. And then no chocolate! They had a number of things that almost looked like chocolate but weren’t. I know usually I complain that meals are too unhealthy, but this one felt like “budget healthy” + too risk taking. The food was really good though… what hey had, but it wasn’t too substantial, the lunch. Then for snacks they had NUTRAGRAIN BARS and BAGGED POPCORN, etc. And then apples and bananas!!! How cost-saving is that? Geeze… it’s healthy, but really? Are granola bars that healthy? I don’t think so. I think they’re branded to be healthy. So… it just felt like fake healthy, mostly cost awareness (which I’m not a fan of… food is such a key part of events, and this is a HUGE BANK holding this event… save costs other places, not food… not fake healthy junk food for your premier and C-level attendees).
Speaker Content: (3.5/5)
Room for Improvement: It was all panels, which got a little dull. They asked each person question then usually moved on, though sometimes people would offer suggestions and ideas. Just felt a little unfocused and tough to keep really excited. The MC didn’t tell many jokes, haha. Also… I just felt like some of the advice was a little crazy, missing the marks/roots, and then I didn’t like how they had no Q&A. I think when you skip Q&A sometimes you are copping out of being transparent. Instead, they let everyone talk with your tables after the speeches… but I just feel like it wasn’t as impactful. Maybe a mix woudl be good.
I usually like when speeches have great preparation and stories to tell and points and facts to share… when it’s all panels (I bet they prepared questions/answers ahead of time) but still, they don’t have visuals prepared. So, a mix just would have been nice.
Networking: (5/5)
Allow me to Elaborate: There was a lot of time to chat between panels for the most part, some breaks were like 30 minutes even… and each time we were all encouraged to talk. So, everyone at the table to got to know each other. That being said, there were lots of differences in opinion. So, it sorta of exposed that. But it did allow you to meet lots of people. This is a really corporate group who are careful with everything they say, so yeah. We had mostly surface level conversations, as much as I tried to turn the page a bit and get real. So, idk. I met a few cool people who I felt interested in, but mostly it was more of the usual. Even so, this format was nice cause it forced/offered the great chance to share.
Likeliness to Return: (2/5)
Room for Improvement: Again, I think Chase has bad values and deserves to go out of business after all of the fines they have and cruel leadership, the investments they’re into and the things they’ve gotten in trouble for. If they didnt’ have such a good PR team and people really knew, they’d be shocked and disgusted. Just most people don’t take the time to learn or face the reality and start digging. Unfortunately, when your stocks get completely destroyed for no reason, you start digging. So, I don’t want to support them (chase) again at antoher event. At the same time, they’re a part of everyday life and sponsoring all sorts of things, so I’d be a part of their work in situations similar to this.. where it’s learning, observing, and being a critical thinker. So, if they sponsor more events, I won’t boycott. I believe PEOPLE are different than their JOBS… and a lot of time we don’t have all the information to make decisions that line up with our hearts. So, many people are trying their best with what they know. Myself included.
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊
