Public speaking is edgy and daunting. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable on a stage, wanting to connect on a level as deep as your palms are sweaty. We’ve all been there.
But Gail Larsen, founder of the Real Speaking® Academy, has made it her mission to be there with us. She delights in helping people find their own story, to speak from the truth of who they are and what they love to open hearts, inspire change, and move people to act.
Gail Larsen’s work has been described by Fast Company as “transforming your relationship to your voice via the deepest stirrings of your soul.”
If you’ve ever tried to perfectly perform a memorized speech, if you’ve ever packed a presentation with endless facts and stats, if you’ve ever thought it takes credentials to be credible, you MUST watch Gail’s keynote from Emerging Women Live 2017.
Gail’s talk planted a seed of courage in every woman there – that with a little practice and investigation, we can speak from the heart, from the “HomeZone,” and the people we need will “line up like a barcode” to join our causes.
WATCH Transformational Speaking: Speak a New Language so the World May Be a New World
As Chantal says, “Gail Larsen’s work in transformational speaking is THE place to go to craft your personal story in a way that creates impact and influence.”
Her original approach to communication draws from her own journey as a previously reluctant speaker, her respect for indigenous wisdom, 30+years in the world of speaking, and wide experience in business and association management.
BREAKING NEWS: Guess who’s coming to close out Emerging Women Live 2017 with an inspirational bang…. Chantal’s (and Oprah’s) favorite speaker of all time – Dr. Tererai Trent!
She’s just published this book, The Awakened Woman, to help women awaken their sacred dreams through nine essential lessons based on ancient African wisdom, and she wants to share with us in person on Sunday at Emerging Women Live. We cannot wait!
“I come from a long line of women who were forced into a life they never defined for themselves,” recalls Tererai Trent. Growing up in rural Zimbabwe, Tererai loved the physical environment but could not ignore the fact that she was part of a culture where women and girls lived under largely unspoken (and often unspeakable) male dominance. To break this cycle of silence was something that no one could imagine–but Tererai did.
As a girl, Tererai often apprenticed her grandmother, who was the local midwife. In her book, she uses that experience to be “a midwife to women’s awakening,” sharing candid and often harrowing personal stories. As a wife and mother by age 13, with four children by age 18, Tererai was deeply unhappy with her life–until Jo Luck, an American woman visiting Tererai’s village, assured her that anything was possible.
Now one of the world’s most recognizable voices in women’s empowerment and education, Tererai Trent urges us all to “stop the intergenerational trauma of feminine silencing. You do not have to march in the street… but you do have to do the work it takes to awaken: to be courageous enough to name the Great Hunger within you and to claim your right to give voice to your sacred dream.”
Get excited for Dr. Trent and all of the fabulous keynotes and offerings headed your way by signing up for the Emerging Women Live 2017 Free Livestream HERE. We’ll see you on Thursday!
I’ve been to Emerging Women Live twice now, and I’ll be there again this coming October 2017. The first time, I went on a whim, mostly to see Ani DiFranco perform. It had been many years since I’d had the prophetic experience of being in her presence and despite it being the most money I had ever spent on any concert, I signed up at the last minute. I read Daring Greatly by Brené Brown just before the event started and walked into a weekend that changed me deeply – for good. Being close enough to lock eyes with Ani several times was definitely a highlight of my life, but I got so much more. My whole world was turned inside out as the rest of the weekend I got in touch with self-compassion, inner courage, and a lot of feelings I’d been suppressing for far too long.
Flash forward to January 2017 – the inauguration weekend of a president I cannot accept and the surreal feeling that I’m living in another dimension. I ask my husband for his true feelings about some of my current projects. Like the oracle that he sometimes is, he responded with an idea bigger than both of us. “I think you should make a documentary series,” he said.
I felt an explosion of inspiration and, due in no small part to the amazing wisdom I’ve soaked in through the Emerging Women community, I recognized the quiet voice of truth and my inner mentor. I got to work. A couple weeks later on a plane to New York, I wrote out treatments for 10 episodes of “Belonging in the USA: Stories from our Neighbors.” Everything was in flow. A week later, I received fiscal sponsorship from Fractured Atlas, the very same day that I was heading to Los Angeles to spend a week shooting the pilot episode. From the very beginning, there has been a feeling of ease and purpose with this project. Emerging Women, and the incredible community of truth tellers and seekers I’ve met there, were catalysts in regaining the confidence in myself to do big things, like create a series.
For the past decade I’ve been helping families draw connections from their past to their present while mapping out the vision they want for their collective future through the company I founded in 2005, Legacy Connections Films. In my work as a family filmmaker, what has struck me over and over is how easy it is for us to lose the threads that connect us, perhaps especially when it comes to our own families. With this new project, “Belonging in the USA,” I am challenging all of us to connect the threads that link us together.
The series emphasizes connection, understanding, and empathy in a time when so many forces are constantly screaming that we are disconnected, dissimilar, and saying we should be afraid of anyone who is different. I reject this. I reject the notion that just if someone is different from me I cannot look into their eyes and see their human longing, yearning, hurt, and joy as my own. I reject it because I’ve lived radical empathy for years.
I’ve sat across from conservative male hunters as a liberal vegetarian woman and felt connected to them through our shared humanity. I’ve sat across from women who’ve suffered the loss of children in unspeakable manners and grieved with them, though I’ve never lost a child. I’ve sat across from wives whose sense of self has been shaped primarily by their children and by their husbands’ accomplishments and created the space to help them see their own contributions to the world as well, never once judging them because of all that I have done in my life. I realized years ago that one of my inherent gifts is that when I sit in witness to another being and look into his or her eyes, I see the child this person once was, and all I feel is love. This is the Native Genius that I naturally inhabit. At the first Emerging Women event in 2013, Kristen Wheeler described this and I finally found a name to what it is I was feeling.
Now more than ever is the time for me to use my Native Genius. Now, when even typically open-minded people have suddenly adopted an “us and them” mentality. Now, when many of us are feeling overwhelmed with fear, pain, and what if’s. Now is when we need to come back to what is essentially true. At our core, we all have a child that wants to be seen, heard and acknowledged. Connecting with this part of us is my Native Genius and will be a huge part of what you see revealed in the folks I interview.
This is all because when Trump became president of the United States, it caused me to wake the fuck up! I had been living in deep denial. A bubble of my own making, where everyone I knew and related to in my life shared relatively the same beliefs, ideas and ideals as me. And yet, I have felt the rewards of deeply listening to people that by all appearances I have little to nothing in common with. I wanted to find a way to consciously and deliberately connect with people who may seem different from me to counteract the influence of politics. So I will use my Native Genius to tell the stories of our collective, human family- the inner selves that are longing to be seen and heard – the parts of ourselves that transcend all apparent differences.
So I am creating a new kind of web series that will allow me to explore my own uncomfortable prejudices and judgments, a series that will force me to enter into communities and conversations that are not my own and ask questions, get curious, do a lot of learning, in order to bring about healing in my own soul. One of my favorite parts in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic is her chapter called “Motives” in which she talks about how she would rather a person write a book in order to entertain themselves as a writer than to help her, as a reader. This stuck with me because growing up Jewish, I have often felt the heavy pressure to try to make the world a better place, tikkun olam. Her chapter on motives helped to put this in perspective. Now I realize that all I really need to do is try to save myself or entertain myself, and the right people who need a similar kind of saving or entertainment will show up to partake in whatever I’m offering up. This is making art as a gift to oneself, not just because we want to do something big and lofty – some grand contribution to humanity (though, c’mon, that’s totally something I want to do, too).
In “Belonging in the USA,” I will interview different people to share their life stories, experiences, struggles, and wisdom all through the context of this political shitstorm we’re currently living in (without making it all about this political shitstorm we’re currently living in). I want it to feel like you’re in each character’s living room, invited to join in on an intimate conversation between them and me, the curious seeker bringing out their story.
With this show I feel that I’m creating an opportunity to explore some of the themes and ideals that are most valuable to discover whether they are valuable to others. What is universal? What is true? Do you derive meaning from the same places/in the same ways that I do? And if not, what life experiences caused you to be/feel/act the way you do?
The goal of the show is radical empathy, the idea of experiencing another person’s life story as if it were your own. My vision for the series is that by getting to know our neighbors near and far we begin to imagine how we can all live through these difficult times together.
The pilot episode of “Belonging in the USA” features Michael D. McCarty, member of the Chicago chapter Black Panther Party, army veteran, acupuncturist, and professional storyteller who currently teaches storytelling workshops to inmates in the California prison system. Michael’s story is one of personal transformation, systemic transformation, and passing along the gift of transformative storytelling. Michael has been a friend of my family for my entire life, and he has been a great teacher of mine since my adolescence. I am honored that he has entrusted me to share his stories with you.
We will host screenings around the country to create opportunities to engage larger communities and particular communities that don’t often intersect to have public conversations about race, values, privilege, unconscious bias, what it means to belong in America, how to be a neighbor, and what empathy looks like in an age of ever-increasing complexity, pseudo-connection and anxiety. I hope you will join me in my efforts to share this work with a larger audience. Please watch our trailer on YouTube. Like it, comment on it, and share it with your networks. This will be the primary way to get the word out about our work. Click here to support this effort with a tax-deductible donation.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the power of community you will experience at Emerging Women Live.
I’m excited to meet you there and deepen our sense of belonging – to each other.
The 2017 Women’s March on Washington, the largest single-day protest in US history by the way, held so much weight for women across the world.
The marginalization of women can be isolating and painful, but with the new presidency and the looming implications of such, women at large joined together to have their voices heard.
The march was about unification for human rights, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or even preferred taste in donut. And for Connie Lim, now known as MILCK, it was also about powerful, sonic healing.
A longtime creative, MILCK has been producing under her given name for the last 8 years. Connie changed her name to MILCK to “hold herself accountable” and to strip away any previous failures. When she lost her management team in 2016, the social and personal shifts inspired her to reach out nationally and release her song of suffering, Quiet.
Connie recruited 25 strangers from around the United States to rehearse the song Quiet for the Women’s March via Skype. On January 21st, the day before the march, the international team met for the first time.
The women marched alongside the rest of the 470,000 people present (three times more people than at Trump’s inauguration, just saying…) and then broke apart from the crowd to form a flash mob.
In a semi-circle, women of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages began to sing Quiet. They were held together by the common belief that expressing oppression is demanding equality, and theirs voices struck a chord with viewers.
The song was resoundingly well received. Vanity Fair, NPR, Buzzfeed, VICE and more began promoting MILCK’s song, which received over 4 million views in the 2 days following the march.
We are so proud to announce that MILCK will be joining us at Emerging Women Live 2017, where she will perform her song Quiet as well as share her inside scoop on the experience at the march. This will be an intimate, firsthand rendition of what went down in Washington that you don’t want to miss.
Hemingway, a major influence on MILCK, said, “you are so brave and quiet I forget that you are suffering.” With accessibility to the voices of women all over America and the globe, we know that passivity is no longer the norm and that massive change is on the horizon.
We can’t wait to celebrate MILCK’s magical, unifying anthem in-person with you at Emerging Women Live. Are you in?
Summer is my favorite time of the year. I love the expansive feeling that the heat brings. I find myself stretching to the sun, open and receiving.
In chinese medicine this is called yang – as opposed to the more inward yin cycle of the colder months. This is a time to make possibilities real, to tend to the seedlings of vision and purpose that we planted in the spring so that we may have a rich harvest in the Fall.
Our hard work of introspection and deep diving is ready to express itself through joy and celebration. Can you feel it?
June 20th marks Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Let’s not let this ancient holiday pass us by without reveling and delighting in it together! How will you celebrate? Will you observe the first rays of dawn? Will you share a radiant sunset with a friend? Will you dance and make merry as you move through midsummer’s day?
However you mark the Solstice, one thing is certain: it’s time to move, to love, and to connect as we use the power of the sun to catalyze our work in the world.
As a fun Solstice gift, we’d like to offer an extra $100 off tickets to Emerging Women Live ($400 in savings total). Simply register by June 20th using the code Solstice, and get ready for a community celebration like no other, October 5-8th in colorful Colorado.
It is so beneficial to stay connected to the earth and her cycles, to celebrate her transitions and transformations, to invite awareness of how her rebirth is mirrored in our individual selves.
Share your Solstice rituals with us in the comments section below, and register here to join us for the rich harvest that is Emerging Women Live in the Fall!
PS – In Russia and Ukraine, Summer Solstice celebrants jump over bonfires to display their courage and faith. Emerging Women Firewalk anyone??
Do you have a fire of truth burning so brightly in you that you cannot but follow its light?
Are you ready to let go, to burn what no longer serves so that a new you may rise from the ashes?
The Warrior Goddess Firewalk
One of the first things we are taught as children is that fire is dangerous – and it burns.
When you first see someone walk on fire, or you walk yourself, this fundamental law shatters. Suddenly the world is new and full of possibilities.
That’s why we’re thrilled to include The Warrior Goddess Workshop and Firewalk with HeatherAsh Amara at this year’s Emerging Women Live 2017 in Denver, CO.
Watch this beautiful video for a glimpse of a firewalk, EW-style:
What have you been telling yourself that might not be true? Firewalking challenges our limiting beliefs so we can lead from an expanded view of what is possible for our lives. This is true power – a power that translates into action and responsibility, for after walking on fire, we know that our lives are truly ours to create.
Remember when Oprah did a firewalk with Tony Robbins as a part of her Next Chapter series? It’s intense! Watch the video clip:
We can’t wait to participate in Emerging Women’s distinctly feminine version of this powerful ritual, led with heart and grace by our friend, wise teacher and beautiful soul, HeatherAsh Amara.
To emerge is to become manifest, to come into full view, to become known….to rise.
We women are not meant to walk this path alone. This path of fire walking is a collective path.
And it is through the heat of our shared stories that our hearts blaze with ancient memories of love and belonging, flickers of being that are buried so deep within us that only a fire of true purpose can spark its becoming.
We are honored today to announce Alicia Garza as a keynote speaker at Emerging Women Live 2017! In a January article she wrote for Mic, Alicia asked,
“Can we build a movement of millions with the people who may not grasp our black, queer, feminist, intersectional, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist ideology but know that we deserve a better life and who are willing to fight for it and win?”
For the sake of Black people everywhere, for the sake of a future we want to live in, the answer must be yes.
Alicia Garza is the Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States. She, along with Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors, also co-founded the Black Lives Matter network, a globally recognized organizing project that focuses on combatting anti-Black state-sanctioned violence and the oppression of all Black people.
“Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise,” Alicia says in the Herstory of the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”
Not Black? Think this movement doesn’t effect you? Think again. No one is on the sidelines for this, and no one can afford to let Black Lives Matter be sidelined.
“When Black people cry out in defense of our lives, which are uniquely, systematically, and savagely targeted by the state, we are asking you, our family, to stand with us in affirming Black lives. Not just all lives. Black lives,” says Alicia. “Please do not change the conversation by talking about how your life matters, too. It does, but we need less watered down unity and a more active solidarities with us, Black people, unwaveringly, in defense of our humanity. Our collective futures depend on it.”
To collectively create the new paradigms we envision for the world, it is necessary for us to become educated allies of the Black Lives Matter movement, regardless of our race. To think this crucial issue could be skirted would be a grave mistake for all marginalized groups seeking to rise above.
As the New Yorker notes, Alicia “…dismisses the kind of liberalism that finds honor in nonchalance.” Alicia says, “No, I want you to care. I want you to see all of me.”
As a queer Black woman, Alicia Garza’s leadership and work challenge the misconception that only cisgender Black men encounter police and state violence. While the tragic deaths of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown were catalysts for the emergence of the BLM movement, Alicia is clear:
“In order to truly understand how devastating and widespread this type of violence is in Black America, we must view this epidemic through of a lens of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
We must strive to really see each other, to honor each other, and more than that, we must credit each other’s contributions to the struggle, not just toot our own horns. We must acknowledge the systematic oppression Black women and their communities have endured, and the work they have done and continue to move all of us towards a more just future. And we must lift them up for it, instead of simply jumping on their shoulders.
“When we are able to end hyper-criminalization and sexualization of Black people and end the poverty, control, and surveillance of Black people, every single person in this world has a better shot at getting and staying free. When Black people get free, everybody gets free.” – Alicia Garza
May it be so. We hope you’ll join us in vocal and active support of Black Lives Matter, and join us to see Alicia Garza in person at Emerging Women Live 2017, October 5-8th in Denver, CO.
The list of powerhouse speakers at Emerging Women Live just keeps growing! This week we are thrilled to announce Sera Beak will be joining us in Denver, October 5-8th. We can’t wait to see what hot new truths she brings to this year’s event.
Sera is a Harvard-trained scholar of comparative world religions who spent years traveling the world studying spirituality with Sufi dervishes, Tibetan monks, Croatian mystics, shamans, and more. She’s given tender and wise keynotes (including In All Fears and Trembling Boldness) at past Emerging Women Live conferences. Here’s a tidbit:
“Our soul’s voice reveals our deepest wisdom and our deepest wounds, which is why unleashing our soul’s voice is often our deepest desire and our deepest fear. We ache to be self-expressed, to be authentic, to totally let ‘er rip and yet we are terrified of being that vulnerable, that raw, that real. So we edit, shape or even shut up our unique soul’s voice in order to be accepted, successful, and even loved. But deep down in our bellies, where our power burns the brightest, we know we cannot be of service, we cannot be free, we cannot truly come alive if we aren’t sharing the truth of who we are.” – Sera Beak
Amen, sister! And have you heard her Emerging Women podcast Red Hot and Holy? She vulnerably speaks to the double-edged sword many of us have faced while trying to make an impact:
“I know for me, in my own experience, it’s been through delivering my truth to the world that I have most often lost my soul. That’s the kind of crazy paradox, that it’s been through trying to actually serve other women and serve the diving feminine in this modern day that… I thought I’d been in contact with my soul, but the reality was there was actually some part of my own spiritualized ego kicking in, or there were other aspects of me that were really more at play than my own soul.” – Sera Beak
Sera will lead us in creating a more intimate and expressive relationship with the universe, in trusting our unique paths, in becoming our own spiritual authorities, and in creating some delicious, divine mischief along the way. A community Q&A/spot-coaching sesh with Sera will follow. Save your virtual seat now and receive a 30 day free trial to the Emerging Women Leadership Platform.
How many of you think the world can be a better place? How many of you have an idea about how to do that but have not implemented it? Wokie Nwabueze asked these questions to kick off October’s Emerging Women Live panel Movement Makers: Amplifying Vision, Voice and Influence to Change the World, and was answered by a room full of raised hands.
When we live with our ears to the ground, Wokie said, we get ideas that would absolutely improve quality of life for a group, a community, the planet. But we get afraid of that idea, thinking “Who am I to start a movement?”
We at Emerging Women have a favorite quote, from Move The Crowd founder Rha Goddess: “We are moving out of the age of the celebrity and into the age of the citizen.” That means we don’t have to wait for Angelina Jolie to start a movement. We can do it ourselves. We must – now more than ever.
To dig into the how, Wokie interviewed Joan Blades, founder of MoveOn.org and MomsRising.org, and Vicki Saunders, founder of SheEO and #radicalgenerosity. What did we learn?
1. Put it out there.
In 1998, Joan Blades sent a one sentence political petition to less than 100 friends, and it went viral. Within days the petition had hundreds of thousands of signatures. For the first time in history, an online petition broke into and helped transform the national conversation. Joan realized that online organizing had the potential to disrupt and fundamentally alter the course of our democracy. The signers of Joan’s petition became MoveOn’s first members, and a powerful movement of millions was born.
Vicki Saunders believes in socializing ideas. At a networking event, she’ll say, “I have this super crazy idea. Imagine this. Would you do it?” When she applied this tactic to SheEO, she realized it resonated in a big way. Though she had been running from the idea for 20 years, she couldn’t ignore the response she got when she put it out there. In 2013, she launced the website and quickly raised $500,000 to invest in women-led businesses.
2. No more guru.
Echoing Rha Goddess, Vicki pointed out that we’re living in a post-hero world. “It’s going to take all of us to change this world,” she said, “so don’t follow a guru. Follow the energy. If there’s something resonant in your idea, it becomes an uncontollable force. Don’t try to control it. Let it go, and that’s when you’ll really see it take off.” Vicki allows SheEO Activators to invest directly in businesses they feel passionate about. By giving women the power to invest in ideas they personally believe in, SheEO emboldens everyone involved – no guru necessary.
Joan embodied the no-guru rule by cultivating an agile team with outstanding ability to listen to and serve MoveOn’s membership. “They don’t need me – they’re incredible,” Joan said. She surrounded herself with good people she loved and respected, and who were aligned with a shared purpose. That gave the movement great collective power to grow and prosper, in service to the community and not just the leadership. She now serves on the MoveOn’s Board of Directors, and is free to found new movements like the much needed MomsRising and the especially timely Living Room Conversations.
3. Start with relationship.
“Design an experience for people to be in relationship together,” said Vicki. In SheEO’s model, women fall in love with the kinds of things they want to put their capital towards as a kind of gateway for falling in love with investing itself. Without that relationship, SheEO wouldn’t have the magic that makes it work.
“People are ready to pay for what they value,” Joan said. The key is deep listening to what the people want, and the ability to serve and facilitiate those desires. “We’d just say, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And they’d say yes and we’d have the money to do it!” When you allow people to choose what they’re passionate about and how they want to be involved, they will happily supply the resources you need to take action.
A final thought from Wokie to sum it all up? “You allowed the idea to be surrendered to community,” igniting the alchemy that transforms good ideas into massive movements. “We don’t have to take a hero’s journey. We can take a heroine’s journey and do it with community.”
Are you a Movement Maker? We’d love to hear about your expereince in the comments. And if you want to make deep connections with other women ready to make waves in the world, join us at Emerging Women Live 2017 in Denver, CO.
I was walking the dog the other night when I felt it, deep in my belly: a stirring, a pulling.
Earlier in the day I had been finalizing the logistics of my trip to San Francisco for Emerging Women Live. There were calls with my best friend who lives in Noe Valley to arrange a night together, making the decision to stay in the hotel for the conference, securing reservations for the doggie spa while I am away, and more—all the things that need to be handled in order to create a clearing for myself.
And then, when the sky was dark, and the city was still, my senses tuned to the wind, the moon, the earth… that’s when I felt it. It was the call of my sisters, the annual tribal council. The time when we gather together from far and wide, from our varied outposts to discuss, observe, and discern the state of all things.
The feeling in my belly deepened, rooting in my sacrum and rising up my spine. I felt the heat in my solar plexus, vibrating in my throat, my forehead, and the top of my head. I was waking fully to the impending magic. With a skip in my step I turned back towards home, pausing for one more moment, one more breath of the cool night air. I turned my face to the stars in gratitude for the many gifts in my life. The full moon was the kind that begged to be howled at, so alone with my dog on the street in Los Angeles, I did.
I’ve been gathering with groups of women as long as I can remember. The first time I recognized it as such, was as President of Women’s Coalition in high school. We were a group of young women from various social groups who would assemble in the home of our beloved advisor, Katherine Alcorn—a former Betty Crocker Homecoming Queen from her small town in rural America, who had since become liberated under the guidance of Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, and the second wave of feminism. We would share our personal experiences as women in the landscape of our suburban New York public high school society, discuss national and world politics, inspire and challenge each other into social activism to contribute to the cause of empowering women and shifting gender balance wherever we could. It was the first taste I had of the what happens when we join together with intention, an act that I now refer to as “circling-up”.
We gather in circle to hold each other in sacred space and purpose.
We circle-up to share our stories, to be seen, to deepen our identities as individuals and as a group. Held by the safe container of sisterhood, it becomes possible to bring forth the most tender parts of ourselves so that they may be healed, so that our vulnerabilities may become strengths. It is by leaning into sisterhood that we are able to transform ourselves and our world.
Deep. Juicy. Vibrant. Electric. There is a certain magic that is at once palpable and inexplicable. A post-menopausal woman waking on Day Two with her period, the discovery of a life’s purpose, a spontaneous healing, the forging of a sustaining friendship in a nanosecond… these are all stories from the floor of Emerging Women Live.
I participate in a number of conferences—yoga festivals, coaching summits, meditation retreats—where like-minded people with a common interest gather to practice. What is so unique about Emerging Women Live is that our “common interest” is our gender, and our only agenda is to spend four days in community exploring the experience of being a woman. What brings us together is not what we do, but an essential part of who we are.
To maximize this powerful experience, here are a few tips:
1. No Comparison
Sitting in a room with 600 women, it is natural to compare ourselves to others, but don’t. A maple tree doesn’t spend time wishing it were a juniper tree, or thinking about how much more beautiful its leaves are than the juniper’s needles. Comparison inherently diminishes one or the other. It arises from a mindset of scarcity, when in fact there is enough for each of us, and each of us is enough. When we raise each other up, we all rise together.
2. Think Small
When considering potential peak experiences, meeting some of our idols tops the list. There are some spectacular women speaking, and the intimacy of the event makes them unusually accessible. But don’t forget that there are also hundreds of small, powerful moments throughout the weekend. Sometimes the shortest conversation or the briefest hug can have the biggest impact, if we are present and available to it.
3. Moment to Moment
Setting an intention is a powerful way to experience the conference. Articulating why we are there and what we wish to achieve brings focus and clarity. At the same time, allowing ourselves to be flexible and spontaneous creates a pathway for unexpected gems. Let the story of your weekend (and the subtext) reveal itself one page at a time.
4. No FOMO
Do you know this term? Fear of Missing Out. Let’s face it, if it were possible to be in two places at once, this would be the time. Alas, we will need to make some choices during the course of the conference. Whether it’s choosing one workshop over another, or opting to take a break, do so with the confidence that you are exactly where you should be. Listen to your body, your mind, your spirit, and honor its pace. Sometimes we need a moment of stillness so the wisdom can sink in.
5. Root Down, Stretch Up
Each of us has a modus operandi, a frequency at which we normally run. This tendency becomes more apparent—and even exaggerated—when confronted by the excitement and energy of an event like Emerging Women Live. If you are someone who tends to be scattered and unfocused, remember to slow down. If you are often quiet and slow, challenge yourself to participate. This is the perfect time, in the safety of sisterhood, to dig deep into your authentic self and stretch into who you are becoming.
6. The Word is Connection
Above all else, Emerging Women Live is about connection. The most powerful moments arise when we connect with each other. As women, we feel deeply. It is our birthright, our superpower. The willingness to be vulnerable is the key to the door of connection. The growth and transformation we seek, both individually and as a group depends on our ability to touch each other. In our hyper-connected, multi-tasking, 140-character world, we often feel isolated and alone. Connection is the medicine. Take a heroic dose.
We are thrilled to announce that Mallika Chopra will be joining us at Emerging Women Live 2016, with a keynote presentation entitled Living With Intent – My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy.
Mallika Chopra is a mom, media entrepreneur, published author, and a notable voice in the fields of parenting, meditation and the power of intention. Her most recent book is Living With Intent – My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy; and her previous books, 100 Promises To My Baby; and 100 Questions From My Child, have been translated and sold in dozens of countries worldwide.
Mallika is the founder of Intent.com – an online destination for turning your intentions into tangible actions, and inspiring others to do the same. Her intent is to harness the power of social media to connect people from around the world to improve their own lives, their communities and the planet.
Her varied background includes launching the Heal The World Foundation in the 1990’s with Michael Jackson, being part of the initial team to re-launch MTV in India, and starting The Chopra Well, a premiere YouTube channel with her brother, Gotham Chopra, and father, Deepak Chopra.
Mallika enjoys speaking to audiences around the world, and has shared her passion about Intent at TedXBerkeley, the 2016 Milken Institute Global Conference, the Robb Report Health and Wellness Summit, Ideacity, Business Innovation Factory, the Green Festivals, LOHAS, The California Women’s Conference, The Prevention R3 Conference, and many more. Mallika has an BA from Brown University, and MBA from Kellogg Business School.
What intentions will you set when you join Mallika Chopra and the rest of the Emerging Women community for our transformational annual event in San Francisco? We’d love to know.
Joan Blades
Joan Blades is a progressive political activist, businesswoman and entrepreneur who co-founded MoveOn.org after selling her software company Berkley Systems in 1997 for 13.8M. She also co-founded MomsRising.org, the grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to achieve economic security for all moms, women, and families in the United States.
We are so proud to bring this champion for equality and respectful civil discourse to the EWLive stage. Trained as an attorney and mediator, and with decades of experience under her belt, Joan Blades will bring a fresh perspective on the importance of the feminine value of communication to authentic and effective leadership.
What would you ask Joan Blades if you could?
New Workshops
We’ve added three juicy descriptions of workshops to the schedule this week. Which ones are a “can’t miss” for you? Register today to save your seat.
“Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead” with Tara Sophia Mohr
Tara Sophia Mohr, women’s leadership expert, speaker, and author of the acclaimed book, Playing Big, offers women wise, simple, and proven strategies to make big changes in their own lives, their careers and the world at large. With stories from her own journey of playing bigger, and those of women on the playing big path, Tara will share why so many women today are playing small and the simple but surprising shifts that enable us to play much bigger. You will learn tools to:
Manage self-doubt
“Unhook” from praise and criticism
Deal wisely with fear
Begin taking bold action to play bigger right now
“The Crossroads of Should & Must” with Elle Luna
Have you ever asked yourself the question “How can I find and follow my true calling?” That moment is what Elle calls “standing at the crossroads of Should and Must.” “Should” is what we feel we ought to be doing, or what is expected of us. “Must” is the thing we dream of doing, our heart’s desire. And it was her own personal journey that inspired Elle to share her story which, in a few short months, has touched hundreds of thousands of people who’ve read it or heard Elle speak on her new book: The Crossroads of Should and Must.
Starting out or starting over, making a career change or making a life change, the most life affirming thing you can do is to honor the voice inside that says you have something special to give, and then heed the call and act. Many have traveled this road before. Elle’s keynote will share how you can choose must, too.
“MoneyType: Learn How Your Values Impact Your Money”with Amanda Steinberg
How do your values impact your money? No matter your level of financial knowledge, you have a MoneyType that shapes your unique perspective on your finances. Amanda Steinberg, CEO of DailyWorth and WorthFM, will discuss how everyone is a unique combination of 5 MoneyTypes, each with their own gifts and sabotage patterns. Learn how to make your money work for you.
“Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead” with Tosha Silver
Tired of running yourself ragged? Of constantly efforting, striving, and pushing to manifest your desires? Come join Tosha Silver as she speaks to a different way of Being, of a life of aligning with Divine Source. When the Divine is invited in fully no problem is too big or too mundane; everything becomes holy.
The first step in this invitation is the sacred act of Offering. Offering isn’t about giving up, it’s actually impassioned, soul-deep surrender. It allows miracles and surprises far beyond what the mind can conceive. The right actions get shown at the right time.
Offering navigates that tricky space where Desire and Detachment meet. It’s truly the key that opens the door to Love and yet it’s actually very, very practical! Solutions arise in ways the ego would never imagine. When all is Offered, life begins to happen through you rather than by you.
What a gift to be in the presence of an artist who can put the weight of our collective sadness, shame, hope and love into words for us, so that we may both process the trauma and do everything in our personal power to make the world a more empathetic place for those who are bravely living the truth of who they are.
At Emerging Women’s Power Night Boulder, in support of Emerging Women Live, Azure Antoinette screened a video that left no room for doubt why she’s been dubbed “the Maya Angelou of the Millennial Generation.”
Her deep compassion for those affected as a result of the senseless violence at Pulse Nightclub on 6/11/16, a tragedy that left the nation stunned, resonated through the hall with the power that only poetry can.
Azure Antoinette is a luminous example of how vulnerability, courage and open-hearted honesty not only elevates the self, but everyone we touch. Thank you, Azure, for being a part of Emerging Women.
We are ecstatic to announce that Janet Mock, New York Times bestselling author, advocate and media host, will be joining us at Emerging Women Live 2016 in San Francisco!
Janet is one of the most influential trans women and millennial leaders in media. TIME called her one of “12 new faces of black leadership” and one of “the most influential people on the Internet” while Fast Company named her one of 2015’s “most creative people in business.”
When she released Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More in February 2014, feminist critic bell hooks called Janet’s memoir, “A life-map for transformation,” while Melissa Harris-Perry said “Janet does what only great writers of autobiography accomplish—she tells a story of the self, which turns out to be a reflection of all humanity.”
Following the release, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Janet for Super Soul Sunday. Watch one of our favorite video clips to get a sense of Janet’s openness, presence and wisdom:
Now, Janet finds herself on the other side of the story as a Contributing Editor for Marie Claire, a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and the host of So POPular!— a weekly MSNBC digital series that aims to ensure that the culture that entertains us actually makes us think.
In the video below she describes how we can transform our “guilty pleasures” into access points to talk about larger and broader issues like politics, identity and community, making the show not only “so popular” but SO NECESSARY in this modern world.
We can’t wait to talk with Janet Mock at Emerging Women Live 2016, October 13-16th in San Francisco. Register now to save yourself at seat at this unforgettable event!
Talk about a trailblazing supernova: six of her eleven published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1.
Perhaps you’ve memorized the mega best seller A Return to Love – considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. A paragraph from that book, beginning “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” has become an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.
A true political entrepreneur, Reshma Saujani has been fearless in her efforts to disrupt both politics and technology to create positive change. Yesterday she was named one of Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, and today we are so excited to name her as a Keynote Speaker at the one-and-only Emerging Women Live 2016.
Reshma is the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and prepare young women for jobs of the future.
Started in 2012, the organization will reach more than 40,000 girls in every state by the end of 2016. This year, Girls Who Code will run 78 Summer Immersion Programs and 1500 Clubs. The results speak for themselves: 90 percent of alumnae have declared or intend to declare a major or minor in computer science.
The effectiveness of her organization is evident in testimonials from the young students: “I’m capable of doing things I never thought I could do. I’m motivated to start my own company. I want to make a difference in my community.” — Diana, 16
In her groundbreaking book, Women Who Don’t Wait in Line, Reshma advocates for a new model of female leadership focused on embracing risk and failure, promoting mentorship and sponsorship and boldly charting your own course, both personally and professionally.
We are excited to announce that artist, author and Silicon Valley startup survivor Elle Luna will be joining the lineup as a Keynote Speaker at Emerging Women Live 2016!
Elle Luna happily makes art in her very special studio in San Francisco (listen to her Grace & Fire podcast to hear about that peak experience in her life). But that wasn’t always her gig.
Before, Elle was nailing the shoulds. She worked with teams to design and build Mailbox’s iPhone app, redesign Uber’s iPhone app, and scale the storytelling platform, Medium. But in the midst of this life of business and chronic busy-ness, she felt the pull of something deeper calling to her in her dreams – the musts.
With one foot in each world (art and startup), everything was suffering. She wasn’t really feeling her creative process, and her work in Silicon Valley was exhausting her. Her head was saying “you got this” while her body was screaming for a vacation – and not just a week at the beach. She was craving the deep peace of a restful mind. She was at a crossroads.
She had enough in her bank account for a window of time to “not know” and just journey down the roads of should and must. She left her job in Silicon Valley and rented the dreamy studio in San Francisco, the dedicated physical space where must had a chance of being heard. And it worked.
On April 8, 2013, Elle published an essay on Medium.com, “The Crossroads of Should and Must,” which quickly went viral. Within weeks, it was tweeted to over 5 million people and seen by over a quarter of a million readers. Elle extended that post into an illustrated, four color book, The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion, where she explains the importance of mistakes, of “unlearning,” of solitude, of keeping moving and of following a soul path. She had taken a leap, and it resonated.
It’s not just a one-time decision, she learned. It’s a daily thing. Shoulds are decisions for anything or anyone other than yourself, put on you from outside from family, community or culture. When you hear or think a should, you shrink in your body. Huge systems of thought are at work that feel overwhelming. She keeps a list of shoulds in her journal because she says that continuing to bring them into awareness is what releases their hold on your life.
To really get the juices flowing, you’ve got to have your finger on the pulse of must. Must is pre-thought. It’s inexplicable and undeniable. She says that staying in touch with that force is crucial. It’s “the source of our being – it’s the song, and we have to keep that song alive” by opening our eyes to “little mirrors, little clues that lead you back to something essential.”
Should, she says, is like cracking an egg on the countertop to get what’s inside out. Must is letting it burst out from the inside, and what results are the greater potentialities of your life. And the most important step? “To trust that that will manifest over time.”
We hope that you will join us in San Francisco to hear the inspirational Elle Luna share her insight with us at Emerging Women Live 2016. We can’t wait to see what will burst from your egg!
You know that the Emerging Women community is all about sharing our true selves so that we can shine as the uniquely impactful leaders we are meant to be.
That’s why we’re so excited to announce Anne Lamott as a Keynote Speaker at this year’s national event in San Francisco, CA.
Anne Lamott, author and activist, is a model of compassionate faith, unwavering humor and a voice that tells it like it is, on good days and bad.
As a memoirist and as a non-fiction writer, Anne has a gift for being irreverent and profound at the same time. She is equal parts raw honesty and real hope, with an uncanny ability to glide from heart-wrenching to hilarious without irony or detachment from the core of the matter.
She’s prolific about it, too. She’s written seven novels, several books of non-fiction, and three collections of autobiographical essays. She’s a New York Times bestseller, a prestigious Guggenheim Fellow, a nationwide teacher of her craft, and an inductee of the California Hall of Fame to boot. Rock star!
As Cheryl Strayed mentions in the video below, her work transcends itself. Bird by Bird is as much of a guide to life as it is to writing. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith resonates with religious and non-religious people alike. We can’t wait to see what she brings to the intimate stage at EWLive16 to inspire and ignite the audience.
To get a glimpse of Anne Lamott’s style, watch as she talks with Cheryl Strayed about shitty first drafts, doubt, vulnerability and the universal impact of sharing your personal story:
Exciting news! Glennon Doyle Melton, the voice behind Momastery, is joining Emerging Women Live 2016 as a Keynote Speaker.
This woman is all about the LOVE. Self-love through struggles with addiction, family love through all the mess and the magic, and global love through her charitable fundraising. And she lays it bare for the world to see with some seriously inspirational vulnerability on her blog.
Her latest post on the Compassion Collective, which she leads with Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell and Cheryl Strayed, outlines how they brought 41,000 people together to raise over $1.3 million dollars to respond to the refugee crisis, which they’ve identified as the worst humanitarian emergency since World War II. And they did this IN ONE DAY.
Her generosity spills over into her book, Carry On, Warrior, where she shares that all of her wisdom, all of her love, originated in the messiest parts of her life. In the video below, she reminds us that when life gets hard, it’s not necessarily a red flag. It might just be a sign that you’re really living.
Have you been inspired by this wonderful warrior? Share your stories with us in the comments.
A: This amazing spontaneous karaoke moment from Emerging Women Live 2015, proving that business leadership, personal growth, and straight up FUN are not mutually exclusive terms.
After two of our favorite authors shared the details of their super-supportive and hilariously honest friendship on stage, Elizabeth Gilbert and Brené Brown led the crowd in an impromptu a cappella version of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, “dedicated to Shame and Scarcity.”
We love this community of women and the real sense of intimate connection that courses through the entire event. These power women, from audience and stage alike, become our peers – our sisters in revolutionary change.
Want to be a part of the SheEconomy? Hear from expert investors on how women are using their money, power and influence to change the world in this clip from the stellar panel at Emerging Women Live 2015 to find out where you fit into the SheEconomy:
Vicki Saunders is the founder of SheEO, a program for women entrepreneurs that supports the next generation of women-led social ventures to lead from their strengths on their own terms. She is a serial entrepreneur, passionate mentor to the next generation of change makers, and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world.
Sue Heilbronner is the co-founder and CEO of MergeLane, a groundbreaking, award-winning startup accelerator targeting companies with at least one woman in leadership. She also consults with fast-growing digital companies and executive teams through her work as Chief Catalyst at Boulder Ideas.
Trish Costello is the founder and CEO of Portfolia, a collaborative entrepreneurial investing community designed for women. Trish was named in The Ten Women in Tech to Watch in 2015 by Inc magazine and to The 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2014 by Goldman Sachs.
Want to see a recap video of Emerging Women Live 2015 that warms our hearts?
Juliet Jarmosco was one of our photographers/videographers at the event. We covered the price of her ticket but she took care of everything else – all out of the love of Emerging Women. You can feel it radiate through the screen. Watch:
Chelsea has over 15 years of experience in administrative and executive support. After her years of working in the legal and oil and gas industry, Chelsea has made it her passion to fill her life with creativity and incorporates that into everything she does. Her position at Emerging Women allows her to expand on that creativity and assist with empowering women around the world. She is a native of Colorado and enjoys spending time with her husband, her son, bonus son, family, and friends. In her free time she loves camping, painting, and all things creative.
Michelle Caggiano
Online Business Manager
Michelle studied Marketing and received her degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her passion for marketing, combined with great attention to detail, and over 7 years of experience in the tech-world makes her a valuable asset to the team! In addition to Emerging Women, she is also a solopreneur and works with a number of different clients in the online business realm. She is an experienced Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant who specializes in marketing operations, project management and online course launch management. She is a Colorado native, mother of two dogs, a cat, and a turtle, and step-mother to an amazing little girl. In her spare time she enjoys live music, good food, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Jen Jefferson
Power Circle Administrator
Jen comes to Emerging Women with over 25 years of experience in event operations and volunteer management. She has worked various types of events as a Volunteer Manager for Integral Life conferences and as an Event Coordinator for various large arts and sports festivals throughout Colorado. Alongside her passion for creating and producing events, she worked as a hospital administrator for over a decade in one of Denver’s largest hospitals helping make care affordable to hundreds of patients. Jen was born in Lima, Peru but has spent most of her life in Colorado. In 2016, a year sabbatical morphed into a life living abroad. Jen has been living in Cusco, Peru for the past four years and cherishes her life in the Andes mountains. In her spare time she enjoys exploring the world, playing capoeira, and deepening her yoga and meditation practices.
Nicole Fegley
Director of Power Circles
For over 13 years, Nicole has been a producer and connector in the field of personal and professional growth and transformation, creating diverse content, life-changing curriculum, and exquisite live and online experiences. She loves to unite and facilitate people in their work to live more good, true, and beautiful lives. She’s honored to bring this diverse expertise to Emerging Women. For the past two years she has been the lead producer for Emerging Women Live, and now is bringing her extensive production, coaching and facilitation skills to EW’s Power Circles. Nicole works in private practice as a Certified Integral Master Coach™, through her company, Unabashedly You, and has worked with hundreds of women (and men) individually and as a group facilitator. She also creates programs and interviews fascinating teachers and wellness experts in her role as U.S. Content Producer for Conscious Life. She is the co-founder of Core Integral, an educational company offering a comprehensive and accessible approach to learning integral theory. Prior to this work, she owned a large and lively restaurant and brewery in Pennsylvania. She has studied extensively and worked alongside Ken Wilber (Integral Theory), Daniel Brown, PhD (Tibetan Buddhism, Self-Development, Attachment, and Positive Psychology), and Sofia Diaz (Hatha Yoga and Feminine Embodiment). She holds a Masters Degree from Lehigh University. She regularly delights in the sunshine and mountains of Colorado with her two dogs and her partner Clint, and is a new mama to her daughter Truly Golden.
Chantal Pierrat
Founder & CEO
Chantal’s mission is to increase women’s leadership across the globe. After earning an MBA from the University of Colorado, Chantal left a career in medical device manufacturing in search of work that would align her dedication to transformative leadership with her passion for living an inspired, impactful life. In September 2012, she founded Emerging Women, a global leadership and media platform that serves over 70,000 women worldwide and has advanced women’s leadership within Fortune 500 companies such as HP, Oracle and more. Chantal’s ultimate vision is to weave feminine leadership and authenticity into businesses, and to create a world where women have a strong voice in the shaping of our future. Prior to Emerging Women, for over a decade, Chantal served on the executive team as the VP of Sales and Marketing for Sounds True, a multimedia publishing company focused on spirituality, personal growth, and holistic living. Chantal is a sought after speaker delivering keynotes at The Grace Hopper Celebration, Wisdom 2.0, and many other stages where women’s leadership is critical to the conversation. When she is not dancing or working to empower women around the world, Chantal enjoys family time with her husband and two sons in Boulder, CO.
