Last year, I attended my very first blogging conference: BlogHer17 in Orlando, FL. I consider it complete destiny since a friend offered me a ticket, and I was going to be in town on the dates anyway. What can I say? I was only able to be at one day of the conference, but I’m hooked!
This year, with BlogHer18 taking place right here in New York City, I knew I had to be there. I even applied to speak! (Let’s be real. I knew I wasn’t ready for all that, but I got a discount on my ticket just for applying.)
I kicked off Day One of the conference at a networking breakfast sponsored by Preventeza, a new emergency contraceptive from the makers of Vagisil. Because apparently…
The breakfast itself was a bit of a bust (two kinds of donuts does not a breakfast make), but it was a great opportunity to meet some of the impressive women I’d be spending the next couple of days with.
Breakfast attendees walked from there to the conference venue a few blocks away. And after a brief welcome from SheKnows CEO, Samantha Skey, the room enjoyed a guided meditation with, Agapi Stassinopoulos.
One simple conscious breath can reboot your brain and recharge you.”
The morning keynotes featured several notable and accomplished women including the founders of Finery (Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey) and Kelly Kapowski herself, Tiffani Theissen. But no one motivated me more than Marie Forleo. Described as a “thought leader,” Marie had some great insights about being a woman in business.
Everything is figure-out-able.”
“Patience is one of the most underrated skills for entrepreneurs.”
“Let your FULL self be a part of the work – life should not be compartmentalized.”
“Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. Develop a bias for action.”
“The best way to start is to start.”
Oh so very girl power-y!
There was some networking, an Influencer Masterclass on building brand partnerships, and lunch before we settled back in for the afternoon keynotes. Let me just say this: Gabrielle Union rocked my world.
Don’t look at speaking on hard things as brave; look at it as necessary.”
“I’ve been at the bottom. I’m on my way up, and I want to take as many women up with me as I can.”
“There will always be someone hating on you, and most of them are hating from the couch.”
“If you have a great idea, you’re going to have more than one suitor.”
“Most men aren’t thankful to be here because they assume they’re supposed to be here. WE are supposed to be here.”
“All of the issues are all of our issues.”
“If you get called out, don’t cry; do better.”
It must have been hard to follow that talk, but there was a panel on “True Beauty” and another Masterclass, this one about leveling up in the workplace.
By this point in the day, my brain was close reaching capacity. I did still enjoy hearing Maria Menounos share about her recent health issues and triumphs. Having read one of her books not too long ago, it was nice to hear some of what she had to share in person.
The evening wrapped with two sets of awards: #Femvertising for brands who are creating pro-female ads and Voices of the Year Awards to content creators, influencers and social advocates whose work deserves to be recognized.
There was a cocktail party to close out the day. But after such a long day (and knowing there was more to come the next), I decided to head home.
Overall, this was a very scaled-down version compared to last year’s conference, but I still walked away feeling inspired and ready to take over the world.
Next stop is Alt Summit in the spring!
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