This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the 7th annual Save a Girl, Save a World Conference. The purpose of this women’s only conference, as stated in their mission statement, is to “provide education, awareness and support through a positive mentoring relationship.” Through a three day seminar style lecture series, we received mentors and mentees, whom we got to know on a more intimate level. I was rather surprised at how well the selection process was conducted. Both my mentee, and mentor were interested in the same things as I, we got along so well and I’m so thankful for the relationships I plan to develop with them.
To kick off the conference, there was a dinner and mentor/mentee meeting session. A few speakers, including our very own CAU First Lady and Miss. CAU spoke about their desires to inspire the black community, especially women. They spoke about the importance of the conference, and how it’s important to make sure that young girls, such as myself, feel needed.
Here are a few takeaways from the first day:
Sonia Myles- Founder, President & CEO, The Sister Accord Foundation
-
Dream Phobia: The ridiculous and absurd fear of playing full out in life, because we are more concerned with staying small to please others or playing it safe to please ourselves, rather than doing all that is necessary to Design Our Destiny.
-
Be intentional about the things you allow to come into your space.
-
Pursue the next level of excellence.
-
When you stop dreaming, you stop living.
-
Dream Walking: Starts in the heart, then moves to the head, hands and feet.
We finished day one with vision boards, one of my favorite activities. We were instructed to create what we wanted for our futures. Mine included women such as Michelle Obama and Shonda Rhimes and quotes that I plan to live by, such as, “The choice is yours, and it’s simple.”
Day two included a few more speakers, a photoshoot, dinner and a party. The speakers included women in different professions such as blogging, investment, television and entrepreneurship. The diversity in speakers was so inspiring; being able to see women in such widespread career fields was mindblowing. Here are the takeaways from day two:
Sheila Coates- CEO Be Your Own Brand (BYOB)
3 Steps to BYOB
-
Define it.
-
Be it.
-
Look it.
-
Everything you wear says something. Everything you do and how you do it says something.
-
Find yourself and be that.
-
Be your own brand, everybody else is taken.
Nicole Caldwell- Founder, Just Glam Cosmetics
-
Affirm yourself daily
-
Start with the internal things.
2. Take inventory of your surroundings.
-
What do you listen to?
-
Who do you spend your time with?
-
Social media
3. Visualize where you see yourself headed.
Amber Cabral- Founder and Principal Consultant Cabral Consulting, LLC
-
You’re going to encounter detours.
-
A side-hustle is smart to have.
-
Nothing will be perfect. Don’t chase perfection.
-
Don’t trip on what’s behind you.
-
Community over competition.
-
Take smart risks. Be courageous.
Nicole Kenney- Founder, It Starts With Me Wellness Program
-
What would you do for free?
-
How and when can I get closer to ready?
Day three consisted of a trip to the Google offices here in Atlanta, GA. After such an eventful weekend, this team of wonderful women weren’t finished giving back to us – A scholarship was awarded to three lucky young ladies. This entire weekend has taught me the importance of pouring back into the younger generation. All of this work we put into being the best possible versions of ourselves is useless if we aren’t trying to help those who are on their way to greatness as well. A push in the right direction from someone who knows what they’re really doing out here is necessary. Life is hard and I’ve realized that, which is why I’m so thankful for the entire Save a Girl, Save a World team. I hope to attend the conference again in the future.
Photo Credit: SAGSAW