Empower your well-being
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Attendees of the conference wrote the ways they wanted to Live Big, and adorned small trees on the book table
It was a great pleasure (and a lot of fun!), to speak at the R.I.S.E. Women’s Leadership Conference in Providence Rhode Island last week.
1200 great women attended the dynamic 1-day conference to network, focus on personal development, and hear speakers and panelists address themes on gender and racial inequity, how to navigate challenging dynamics in the workplace, cultivating resilience, and ways to lead a healthy, happy life when work and life feel overwhelming.
In addition to my contributions to the panel discussion on how to live your best life (to a standing-room-only audience!) it was a joy to be among the speakers who are authors. It was great to sign books for attendees.
I met amazing women all day and engaged in terrific conversations from beginning to end.
Looking for great ideas to live happier?
Consider adopting some of the ideas that were shared in the panel discussion I was a part of:
⭐ Self-care is not a nice-to-have, it is crucial. As fellow-panelist and health coach Kristen Reed suggested, you can “snack” on small 5-minute or 10-minute practices during the day when it is not possible to devote 30 or 60 minutes to taking care of your health. Pause and breathe, get up, move and stretch for a few minutes, have some healthy snacks on hand. These count!
⭐ Leslie Ford, of Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, shared that her favorite way to start the day is to go out for a run, but that sometimes she settles for a 10-minute jog on a treadmill mid-morning. For her, some running each day is non-negotiable so she always finds a way. And, she is bringing programs into companies to help employers better support working moms.
⭐ Panel moderator Precious Clouthier said that she recently blocked off Fridays on her calendar. While she sometimes chooses to add an appointment on a Friday, making that a day she is intentional about, and that feels spacious, has helped her to run her coaching business and raise her twin 6-year-old boys without feeling frazzled.
⭐ Among the ideas I shared, were to start your day with some type of morning practice that will ground you, set you up with the most positive frame of mind possible, and support you to focus with clear intention throughout your day. (You can check out what I wrote on this topic last spring.)
I also led the audience in practicing some easy ways to take momentary pauses in the midst of a hectic day, with box breathing and “butterfly tapping.” These are excellent ways to come back to the present when you feel frazzled and calm your nervous system when you you feel anxious. (I’d be glad to guide you through these techniques. Email me and we can hop on a quick call.)
And, of course, I spoke about how to bring a creative mindset to everything you do. You will have more agency in your life and be able to move ahead in the best ways, no matter what comes at you.
I also spoke about how activating creative pursuits (of any kind that you enjoy) will connect you to your heart and open up your spirit.
When you aim to add delight by doing something expressive and fun (even if it's to simply doodle for a few minutes with colored pens), even the toughest days are brighter.
Adopt one small idea now
It can feel exciting to consider making lots of changes at once. The truth is that choosing a single idea to be conscious of is the way to test and find a practice that will have a meaningful impact for you. Then you can stick with it.
Why not choose one now and see how it works for you? Then return to other ideas that sparked your interest and give another a try. It won’t be long before you find a small set of new approaches that are ideal for you.
Here are some photos captured at the wonderful day at the R.I.S.E. Women’s Leadership Conference. The little trees with lights were filled with cards where women wrote down how they want to live big.
