Full. Inspired. Overwhelmed. Tired. Joyous. These are just some of the words to describe how I am feeling after this amazing weekend. It started on Friday with my President’s Project: Advocate for Great. There were not as many women in the room as I would have liked, but the vibe was awesome. Keynote speaker, Catherine Calarco, did not disappoint. There were two things that she said that stuck out to me. First, be authentic. In being authentic, we must be advocates. One of the other things she said that struck me, and I mean, struck me, was how she said, “I’m smart.” There were no apologies, no ego, just authentic. We must advocate for ourselves in an unapologetic way. 

The Mentor Panel was equally amazing. There sat three amazing female business leaders from the community answering questions about inspiring women in their lives, and one man, roadblocks to their success and how they overcame those blocks and approaching balance in their personal and professional lives. 

I didn’t sleep much after that evening. The next day was Dream It, Be It. This was our first one-day DIBI conference. It was outstanding!!! Together with SI Bidwell Rancho we delivered seven sessions to 15 high school girls. The messages included dreaming, setting goals, overcoming obstacles, managing stress, and bringing it all together.

Both conferences were treated to dinner or lunch and desserts, along with networking and inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, I am really looking forward to our awards program this week. We will hear from the Giving committee’s awardees at lunch, and it is a packed program. Come early to chat with our award winners, and stay late for happy dollars.

See you Wednesday!

President Sara