Easy to say, but very difficult for women to do. As women, we struggle to find balance amidst the stressors of life and rarely take time to reflect on our core values. Each decade brings new challenges and pages of the calendar flip so quickly that we careen through life’s transitions scrambling to react to ensure that the needs of our kids, our spouse, our boss, our friends, our co-workers are met, with little regard for our own.

As women, we must support each other in the challenge to move from being reactive to proactive. We must find ways to foster the quest to, as Margaret Young suggests, “first be who you you really are, then do what you need to do.” That process of self-reflection creates an empowered woman – one who will have what she wants and find true happiness…not in more things or more money, but in a life filled with purpose and direction.

As we developed the Women’s Empowerment Conference, we wanted to create an experience that could be a catalyst for women taking charge of their future. We enlisted inspiring examples of women who, when faced with challenges, created opportunities. We developed content that would enable women to refocus on their career and finances to facilitate a shift toward a proactive professional development plan. We created an environment that would enable women to support and encourage each other in the process. The experience, in essence, is designed to help women stop living their lives “backwards,” and encourage them to turn around and seize the great opportunities that lie ahead.