One thing that I really enjoy about the conference is that they include physical activity. You can choose a morning activity such as the Power Walk or attend the golf and tennis clinics during the day. I however, chose the alternate morning activity–Belly dancing. Dr. Sunyatta of BOCA led the morning classes. She puts the “flex” in flexibility. After learning a few moves we had a belly dancing battle. It was traditional belly dancing with the spirit of hip-hop. You’d have to see it to believe it, but it was so much fun.
Friday morning the conference began with motivational speaker Lisa Nichols. She encouraged us to appreciate our own unique gifts and to keep our eyes open to the blessings that may be right in front of us. “Sometimes our gifts come wrapped in sandpaper.” Lisa related in humorous detail how she always dreamed of appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show to have a one-on-one with Oprah, and to smell the leather on Oprah’s cream leather sofa. She realized her dream of being a guest on the show, but was a bit disappointed that the sofa wasn’t there. Not long after she was approached about having her own talk show and guess what was a part of the set. You got it, a cream leather sofa. Lisa stated tearfully to us that, she had so badly wanted to sit on Oprah’s sofa, when all along God had been trying to give her her own sofa. It was touching, comical and brought home the point that we need to be thankful for the opportunities that we have.
The Power in You was a workshop led by none other than the phenomenal, Carla Harris. She delivered points on how to succeed in the workplace from her book Expect to Win.
Reinvent Yourself was an interesting break out session. One of my favorite points was on mentorship. The idea is that mentorship works both ways. Too often, people want their mentor to be someone older, wiser, and usually at the top of the corporate ladder, but one panelist stated that the way she has developed an edge and been able to stay in tune technically is by allowing younger people to mentor her. They know all that is going on in this digital age and if you want to stay relevant, you might just need some younger friends at the office.
I enjoyed all the workshops, but my aha moment was in a workshop that focused on bringing order to your home by Robin Harmon Myers of Harmony Designs: You live in abundance when there is no excess. That was powerful. I’ll be spending this weekend editing my closets and shredding paper for certain.
That evening Macy’s hosted a fashion show. Khaki seems to be the color for spring and summer paired with hot bold colors like tangerine, turquoise, and magenta.
Finally, the evening ended with a performance by EnVoge. They worked it out. They looked great and sounded even better, sprinkling in songs from artist that inspired them, like Aretha Franklin and Donna Summer along with their own hits. Absolute Harmony. Talk about holding on…EnVogue is doing it. 
Tracey Edmonds was a panelist in a workshop on second acts and new beginnings.
Next year’s conference will be back in Palm Springs…get ready.