Courage, Not Perfection - Woman Up 2019

As I watched my son set up his “boy cave” in the basement, I was convinced he would be staking a claim to his permanent residency. I had this horrible vision of this out of shape 20 something year old, sticky game controls glued to his fingers, living large in what quickly would become his filthy pad. Although he was a smart kid, I always wondered if he would be added to the long list of the things I did half well based on the demands of entrepreneurship.

It was my fault that he had high cholesterol from the many mozzarella sticks he ate. It was my fault I embarrassed him at his baseball games, wearing my work pumps on the field because I always forgot my sneakers. Ugg, mud in spiked heels is absolutely no fun by the way. It was my fault when I was the grade school room mother who got fired for poor performance. Yes, had I been graded I would have objectively given myself a solid C. Had his teacher Mrs. Morries graded me, it surely would have been an F-, needs major improvement. 

As my career has progressed, I’ve met so many women that were weighed down by the “not being balanced” syndrome. I remember having the urge as I attended one of those seminars that was supposed to be balancing me to scream, “I’m tipping!” I always walked away motivated to do better, but ultimately ended up feeling worse. It was that experience that led me on the journey to create a conference that addressed the biology of who we were as a gender. I wanted there to be a forum that provided the foundation for real and meaningful change. Finally, real tools for us to pick up and use.

As we embark on the unknown that is 2019, the one thing that is certain is we’re putting our Woman Up name to the test, and I invite you to join in. We want to provide the opportunity for you to evaluate and elevate moving forward into the new year, driving change with your resolutions. Focus on your ability to breakthrough and elevate YOU! Join us January 31st in Buffalo, NY at the first Woman Up Conference of 2019.

In this time of reflection and transition, I wanted to thank the women on my journey that have been instrumental in progressing this initiative forward. First, Christie Joseph. Without her nudge, this conference wouldn’t have happened. Our first keynote, Kim Pegula, who kicked off the initiative as a genuine and real role model to build upon. Community organizations like SheCAN!, who after positive experiences with our previous events were formed to continue fostering growth, and are now a sponsor for our upcoming conference thanks to Peggy Sullivan. We’re also grateful for Sheri Sullivan, who as a pioneering leader at EY saw the unique impact of Woman Up, and was moved to be involved as an integral part of our 2018 conference. Of course, I can’t say enough about the army of breakout and roundtable speakers who make this event what it is with their incredible topics and mentoring. Finally, my team over at APA Solutions, who year in and year out help us present this conference and make it come to life!

You may be wondering what happened to my son… Well, I wouldn’t leave this blog without giving you a status update. He just received his Ph.D. and has a wonderful career trajectory in front of him. Basement? Safely back to a storage space. Much to my surprise, I did alright after all :)