Blogging at the Women's Conference

Thanks to Glam.com, I was invited to attend The Women's Conference in Long Beach. Under the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, The Women’s Conference is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation and aims to empower and inspire women to become architects of change, the annual conference. Tickets sold out in less than three hours and the speaker list is a who's who of entrepreneurs, leaders of industry, activists and people changing the world.

While on the scene I twittered almost everything that I could see and hear. Here's a break down of my tiring but motivating day in my many brief messages:

-At Californiawomen.org conference sitting in a reserved table with Glam.com, Jennifer Lopez just quoted a verse from the bible!
-JLo said "nothing worthwhile is easy"

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Warren Buffet and Gov Arnold are discussing the stock market in front of 14,000 female attendees, topic is Leadership in a 21st Century Economy
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Governor Arnold said he started in business at age 10 selling ice cream in Austria, being a capitalist in a socialist world.
-Arnold says bailing out CEO's will make them lazy and stop them from being creative and solving the problem, gov didn't sell his ice cream in the winter, so he sold hot dogs and made it work.
-I can't open the free mini bottle of POM juice that they gave at the entrance to the conference. My palm is all red and sore now. (yes, I digressed a bit here)
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Warren Buffet just said Hilary Clinton did a lot for women, since you have to see it to believe it and in 1920 you didn't, or when I was born even
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Gov Arnold says he's amazed by his wife's ability to multi-task and thinks women can do it better

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The international journalist Christiane Amanpour is discussing how Rwanda is helping to solve poverty by empowering women with jobs
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Christiane Amanpour says she loved every step up the ladder at CNN and if the storytellers of truth quit then that the bad guys win.
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Amanpour says everyone around the world would like to vote in our elections becuase when America sneezes the world gets a cold. Wow.
-Boo she says she doesn't get citizen journalists and the rise of the amateurs, but I get her point too, I feel like I'm in a j-school again

-The beautiful Jaclyn Smith is behind me in the crowd defending Bush, she looks great tho, love her Lifetime movies and clothing line

-Got a free skin analysis at CVS booth, I was told I have flawless skin but need hydration
-So much free swag my arm is hurting, I have two bags full of freebies
-Just got a flu shot at the CVS booth, didn't hurt but I squirmed anyway.

-California's first daughters Katherine and Christina Schwarzenegger (tall and pretty) just introduced their mother.
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Maria Shriver says she was passionate to elect a female president, admired Hilary, but liked Obama's faith and felt guilty not supporting a woman
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Maria Shriver remembering Tim Russard and conquering her fears to speak at his memorial and not deleting his speed dial, touching
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Shriver is a good story teller/speaker, very engaging and honest about her quirks, insecurities, and loss-she brings you in.
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Damn Shriver made me teary-eyed talking about her mom's illness and examining herself and their relationship.

-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi says there is still a glass ceiling but it's glass and you can see through it, but women need to help other women.
-She wore an Indian Sari on her first job interview although people advised her to wear a business suit, she got the job. Friend had said be yourself, you wouldn't want a job that didn't hire you because you wore a sari.

-Condoleeza Rice says to women do not be afraid to be the first, don't always have to see a woman in that position to attain it
-Condoleezza says there is no particular road to success, you have to find your own road. She originally was going to be a pianist.


-Attending the afternoon session, We all want to look our best, how to step forward with confidence with actress Rita Wilson.
-Stylists in the be confident session said purple and berries are the colors this season.


-The lines for the restroom were so long that I went into the men's room instead!

-At the concluding session + Minerva Awards presentation, eagerly awaiting Bono and Bonnie Raitt.
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Gloria Steinem is accepting her Minerva award. She says it's not about women having it all, but women not having to do it all.
-Tennis legend
Billie Jean King takes the stage and is being awarded 4 her mission of equality, inspiring title 9 and female athetes. More tears.

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Bono is funny and cracking Irish jokes on stage. He says he's a traveling salesman coming to your door selling songs or activism.
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Bono asks the conference to join the One campaign and if buying something you need, buy RED. He's a good salesman indeed, a great speaker.
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Bono says women care more because they bare more.


-Having dinner with Glam Media team members and LAStory, BagSnob and The Shoe Goddess.

What an amazing day, so many great ideas and inspiring people. I walked away determined to blog more about social issues like Stand Up To Cancer, etc. I also plan to continue to be more of a mentor
to young women at work and in the blogosphere. I can only hope that I go again next year.

6 comments

  1. I have wanted to go to this conference for 2 years now! Thank you for the great recap :) I love your idea about posting more around social issues - we should all take time to do this a bit more.

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  2. sounds like a great conference, love the update.

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  3. Just wanted to stop by and say that i love your blg and that you have been TAG, you can thank me later.

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  4. Hi! You have a Great blog!!
    How about exchanging Links?!
    Visit my Blog & if u like it,pls add it to your Blogroll and I too will put a Link for your Site on my Blog!!


    www.garunkumar.blogspot.com

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  5. I've wanted to attend this conference for the past couple of years. This week I could have bought someone's tix, but I just had too much on my plate.

    Thanks for the live blog. Love that.

    PS - what's in the swag bags??

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  6. holy smokes. what a great lineup! I'm totally jealous.

    You wouldn't happen to be the Tara that left me a note on my myspace page, are you? I was so bummed b/c I wanted to copy that and post it elsewhere, but when you click on it, it disappeared. uberbummed.

    Either way, thanks for stopping by the debu

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