::Inner Healing and Supporting Women:: Renaissance Women Summit

::Momma Disclosure:: Post was created in collaboration with Amanda Russell of Fit Strong Sexy , Interesting Houston, Danelia of  Project Z and local group the Houston Latina Bloggers.  All pictures are property of Momma of Dos, if you wish to use them please contact me: mommaofdos@gmail.com 

There is much to be said when other women invite you to their table with open arms. Much to be said about women outside your circle who trust you instantly to be brought into their space. And, far more to be said about women who are truly supporting other women. In a clear and genuine way. 

I attended the Renaissance Women summit this past weekend, the vibe and the energy were incredible and it was all due to the coming together of several local women and one amazing visionary, Amanda Russell.  

I heard two messages loud and clear and I feel we would all, as women and simply humans, benefit from them.

::Inner Healing::

The thought that hurt people, hurt people is true. One of the speakers; Jen Groover, spoke very honestly and openly of this topic. Her testimony hits very close to home for me. Her mother was an abused wife and as a child, she witnessed so much that now she wants to empower her own daughters to be strong and stand up for what they believe in. More importantly to be more emotionally aware than most children their age, which was very impressive as a fellow Momma. Her biggest power is the idea of self-healing and not allowing those bad moments to create bitterness and sadness but instead learn from them and grow away from those toxic environments. 

We all have the power to heal. Some of us might need lots of help and support but that's OK, at the end of the day healing is your goal. Some may not have the tools that they need to heal but could find those tools in others through empathy and compassion.

Jen has such an amazing story of survival and triumph, she is such a true warrior! Again her story made a great impact on me and how I have healed over the years. And, honestly this healing is on-going. We are always going through experiences and situations that don't always go our way. We must continually learn and grow from our traumas and bad experiences. It's the only way to move forward, evolve and be successful! 

One statement that really resonated with me was:

"Successful people work on themselves first." 

::Supporting Other Women:: 

I knew the summit was directed towards women and that in itself was amazing. I met women from many walks of life and professions. I was fulfilled with that alone. But, then there was a constant message with the speakers; Tamilee Web-Hall better know for being the face of Buns of Steel, Jen Groover a Ted Talks speaker and serial entrepreneur/business woman, Anika Jackson and Staci Henderson of Interesting Houston and Amanda Russell. They all spoke to how they couldn't have done it without each other. They spoke about how if one person succeeds it never hinders your own success. There is, and always will be enough room at the table for everyone. The limiting thought that I must protect my success and not share or be able to promote other women within my industry, niche, or even within my own ethnicity, is ridiculous. I want all women to succeed, and be happy. This will set the norm for all successful relationships. 

#communityovercompetition should be something that is practiced across the board and that we should as women, embrace. We will only be able to succeed when we understand that everyone's grass can be green no matter what. The mentality of "every man for himself", while it can be productive in some instances, should not be what drives us to move forward. We should truly and genuinely build one another up and decide that in order to break the glass ceiling, we must unite. Dr. Noreen Khan Mayberry, one of the events panelist, spoke to this as well, empowering women and having one another's backs. It's what our community should be about, no matter what your industry is! 

Overall, there was an amazing sense of relate-ability among us all. We all have a story to tell and somehow our stories resonated with similarities. Some how, no matter what our background, ethnicity, age, or upbringing, some how our similarities, prevailed.  

This type of event fills me with true joy, first off as a Latina who passionately peruses empowering the women in her community, and secondly because I want to better myself as a woman, Momma, employee, wife, career-driven person. The Renaissance Woman Conference encompasses all of those important factors that push me forward towards a better me. I love representing the Houston Latina Bloggers and try to do my best with every opportunity I gain. ~Connie Gomez (Houston Latina Bloggers) 

::Top 10 Reasons to attend LOCAL Conferences:: #BACHou16 Recap

I will always express my gratitude towards having been able to attend LATISM here in Houston back in 2012. I think that up until that moment I felt that good conferences only happened outside my city but truth is they can be even better when they are local. All you have to do is seek them and as they say, you will find them. A couple of  weekends ago Houston Latina Bloggers attended a new local conference that I am sure will only grow in the coming years. We went to the Business Advancement Conference which was held at the Houston Food Bank and was hosted by a young, yes, local entrepreneur Kiersten Kindred of Kindred Communications. 

The conference gave a bigger and broad insight into starting your own business, the steps you need to take and the resources that you will need to acquire. It featured a great group of speakers, mostly local entrepreneurs that helped cover a great amount of detail in each of their topics of expertise. Because, like most people who create something new, Kiersten learned along the way of building her own business that she needed specific people who could assist her but they were not all in one place. From that lack of resources, she created this conference, a kind of "one-stop shop" for all your business needs! It was a very informational conference filled with good, local contacts that will help you get to that next level of entrepreneurship you might be seeking. 

Speakers Included: 

• Bob Keplinger – The Action Coach, The Woodlands who presented Five Ways to Massive Profits For Your Business! 
• Local blogger: Kirsten Oliphant – Create If Writing who presented  The Art of Crafting The Perfect Brand Story
• Toni Harris – Constant Contact who presented  The Power of the Inbox to Advance Small Business
• Donna Wick – WICKed Publicity who presented It’s All About You, It’s All About Yes!
• Kristal Howard, Kroger who presented Do-It-Yourself Public Relations
• Liz Robinson, Turningstones who presented SEO Essentials
• Thais Amaral Tellawi  & Saeed Tellawi – Amaral Tellawi Law Firm who presented Using Business Entities to Achieve Your Goals
• Ronald Richmond – Weebly  who presented  How To Build A Website And Online Store In 30 minutes

Houston Latina Bloggers were invited to attend as Conference Mentors, we were honored and happy to be a part of this event: http://www.businessadvancementconference.com/mentors-houston-business-conference/

Here are 10 reasons to seek out and attend local conferences, enrichment programs, and/or workshops:

1. Resources at your fingertips, literally you will be able to reach out and being local makes it easier to meet up with new people after that initial connection. Sometimes that face to face contact is needed to conduct certain business items. You can reach out to local connections and meet in person without worrying about being miles and miles away from one another. 

2. Making a local impact is very important and easier done if you attend local conferences, you can learn where you fit in the circle of needs and close that gap almost immediately. Making that connection in your own community is always gratifying. 

3. Creating friendships from local connections usually, it's easier to establish not only partnerships but long lasting friendships when you are both in the same city. It makes it easier to find a common ground and again it will make meeting up easier. It's happened to me several times now.  

4. You don't have to worry about travel and board, the expense is less and you don't have to worry about extra out of pocket expenses. As a momma money isn't everything but it's very important that I make money wise decisions. When you are a new entrepreneur you want to save as much as you can and invest in areas that you know will benefit you more than others. 

5.  You get to explore your own city. Some of the events or conferences that I have attended are in areas of town I don't usually get a chance to visit. This makes exploring new locations in my own city a fun part of local events. I always say that I like to stay in my bubble or own area of town, but attending events is a good excuse to visit new areas of Houston.

6. Your tribe can join you! It's easier to get a group of ladies to go to something local than to have to worry about travel, it becomes more accessible for everyone. And, it also makes it easier to work around schedules when it's a few hours out of your day. 

7. You get to meet your online connections in person, even though Houston is a large city seeing people who you have connected with online is very likely when you attend local events. And, it's always fun to put a live face to your online profile. 

8. Time is well spent, when events are local you can make time to attend an event, 1-day conference or workshop and then go about your day as usual with family or friends. No one's time is really impacted or sacrificed which makes staying local a great investment.

9. Because really nothing can replace that face to face interaction. I don't care how great the world wide web is and how fancy we have become at communicating with one another, there is just something to be said about always being able to meet someone in person. To be able to reach out and shake their hand and heck why not, even give them a hug! The need for human interaction will never die. Ever. I love meeting online people in person. It's fun. 

10. It's fun! Simple as that, having this type of conference or event locally allows you to have fun and be close to home. Having fun and enjoying yourself, for me, is a big part of the puzzle and what keeps coming to this type of local happening. 

::Weekend Snapshots:: Texas Bluebonnets 2016

This weekend was super busy for our little family. Saturday we had to split up, I went to an all day conference with our HLB crew and my Hubby and kids had baseball. This is one of the biggest sacrifices I make as a Momma who wants to grow and develop not only for myself but for my brand. And, a sacrifice my children and Hubby make for me as my children and spouse. I try to rarely cut into our family time and obligations on the weekend but sometimes it's needed. This was also an event that we committed to a while ago and before I knew we would do baseball this season. But, I made no excuses and woke up early and left the house that morning, leaving behind all baseball things prepped for my kids so that their morning could go smooth as well.

I am really glad I did. Because we made new connections at the Business Advancement Conference and our administrative team was able to have an actual face to face meeting, most of our day to day work is done online via, chat and texts, and phone calls. Face to face is becoming more and more important as we begin to get more organized and structured and committed to our group. So, that was awesome! I love seeing Jihane and Ariana in person when needed. I think we are 3 truly different people and our dynamic is interesting but I feel we have and continue to grow every time we meet and talk. 

More on the conference this week. 

Since I had spent all day away from the kids and Hubby we went to dinner at my In-Laws house to eat some crawfish. And, we also planned a small day-trip for the next day to seek out what the bluebonnet craze was all about! Sunday morning we slept in a little and then woke up, got ready and met up with Ricardo's cousin for a short trip further out into the country. We drove, with really no clue of where we would go. Finally, about 30-45 minutes away from Houston we found a spot along the side of the road where everyone was stopping so we stopped, cause when in Rome. Ha. We for the first time ever, yes, ever, got bluebonnet shots! It was fun until we were eaten alive by tiny ants. After which we continued to take more pictures but were definitely done with it. We headed towards the Blue Bell Creameries, we didn't know it would be closed but still looked around and planned to go back on a weekday when it's open to see more.

{ Please note we did not climb on the truck, we gently sat for pictures. } 

You would think our Sunday would have ended there, but oh yeah we have a 5 and 6-year old who never stop. We had a late lunch at MOD Pizza and then headed out to Meyer park to walk it off. We had fun and for sure, a FAMILY filled day. Exploring is always good, we went home exhausted, us, not the kids, and then tried to relax and get ready for the week.

How was your weekend?? 

DON'T FORGET: Link up with Jessica and me on our #WeekendSnapshots

link up below by entering this weeks post link!

http://www.3twentysix.com/2016/04/weekend-snapshots-15.html#more

The Business Advancement Conference #BACHou16

Momma Disclosure: This is a compensated post. All opinions and statements expressed are my own. 

Houston is very diverse. The opportunities are infinite and as our group Houston Latina Bloggers continues to grow we want to create opportunities for our readers. Which is why we have partnered with Kindred Communications and their upcoming Business Advancement Conference. This conference will offer not only a day full of networking and workshops, but also personalized mentoring, professional headshots and so much more.

Join us on April 9th at the Houston Food Bank for a day filled with developmental growth and business networking which will help your business grow. The conference is sponsored by Constant Contact, Weebly and many others, you can see them here: http://www.businessadvancementconference.com/sponsors-houston-business-conference/

In the upcoming weeks, Houston Latina Bloggers will be featuring more about this conference. 

::About the BAC:: {Information provided by Kindred Communications}

The Business Advancement Conference will be held April 9, 2016 (Saturday) at The Houston Food Bank from 8 to 3:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the food bank. 

This conference will help you take your business and brand to the next level with its workshop-style format. At the Business Advancement Conference (BAC) we will educate, elevate, empower and excite entrepreneurs, bloggers, business-oriented individuals, and strong career-minded individuals about their business/brand.

At BAC, attendees will learn how to efficiently plan for their business, branding, networking, do-it-yourself public relations, email marketing, key tips for blogging, SEO essentials, financial planning and legalities for all business types.

This conference will help attendees take control of their business and brand by providing the necessary tools and resources to win in every aspect of their business life.

Who this conference will serve: Entrepreneurs, small businesses, medium-sized businesses, bloggers, business-oriented individuals, career-driven individuals trying to take their brand to the next level and college students looking to brand themselves for their perfect career.

You can purchase your TICKETS HERE. 

:: About the Creator and Organizer::

Meet The Creator of The Business Advancement Conference Founder and CEO of Kindred Communications, Kiersten Kindred, received her Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University, graduating with honors as magna cum laude with a major in Mass Communication and minor in History. Kindred Communications, is a full service communications/media firm specialized in communications, marketing, branding, entertainment, community engagement, consulting, career services and media relations for individuals, small and medium-sized businesses.

Ms. Kindred has been featured in national publications such as, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, InTouch Weekly, Life & Style Magazine, and had her own weekly entertainment column in the Fort Bend Herald Newspaper. Kiersten is also a Public Speaker and Author of the comprehensive marketing book, Five Steps to Marketing Success: A Small Business Guide. She specializes in communications, media, marketing and defining brands. 

Ms. Kindred created The Business Advancement Conference, to assist businesses and individuals take their brand to the next level. The workshop-style/interactive conference will be a one-of-kind event and she is excited to offer it to such a diverse community. 

Contact Information: Kiersten Kindred 

Website: Kindred Communications KcFirm.com 

Email: info@kcfirm.com

::Thoughts about the conference from the creator::

"This conference will be different than any other conference you have ever attended. We will do the work. At BAC, you will receive the education, inspiration and motivation you need to take your business or brand to the next level."

"I'm excited to be able to host such a dynamic conference for the community of Houston," said Kiersten Kindred, Founder and CEO of Kindred Communications. 

"I came up with the concept for the conference, when I was thinking about all the steps I had to take when I first started my business in 2013. I had to do strategically plan my business, brand myself, handle my public relations, motivate myself, etc. It takes work and you have to have the resources and tools you need to succeed. My hope is that I can offer the attendees of BAC everything they need to succeed in their business."

Hope to see you there! It will be amazing. 

::Women Empowering Change Conference::

IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE IN 2016 PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS THROUGH MY AFFILIATE LINK : HERE: 

As a constant observer of life; if you know me you know that when invited to events or conferences, I usually do not  walk away empty handed. I will always try to take something from it, whether it’s a new business contact or a full heart. Either way I love events, mini-retreats and conferences where I can share my story, be myself and grow. This past weekend that very thing happened. Shunte Gamble-Davis of Women Empowering Change Conference is slowly building an environment of true Sisterhood. A place where we can come together as Women, as Momma’s and as goal driven individuals to share, grow and embrace one another. Last year’s conference was my first and it did not disappoint. Walking away feeling purpose-filled and happy, I knew this year’s conference could not be missed.

Then this year happened. Let me tell you as Shunte would say…..HEY YA’LL! This year, I walked away with direction and action steps. I walked away with an even bigger support group and cheerleaders of daily life struggles. I walked away with a deeper and a more true sense of self. The ladies in the group are not only ambitious and inspiring but also down to earth and open to help others in any way possible. They are creative writers, authors and poets. Women of faith and of all walk of life. Of all ages and sizes. Nothing matters in this space other than coming together as one.

Affirmations and prayers were given. A sense of belonging was created and I always love the random moments where everyone can break out in song or dance. It’s always a fun and happy environment. No room for judgment or negativity. Always love and true support.

I believe the time has come for us to realize our difference and learn more about one another, this conference I feel is the shift toward the beginning of something great. Best of all, it’s local! Houston needs more events like this. Where local women who are creating, doing and becoming can come together encourage one another and be productive and active in our very own community.  

The event came at the perfect time of the year for me, as I began a new journey. A new position, with a new company. So, this was a refreshing way to begin that journey. The hostesses were so gracious and fun. The speakers all with their own story of despair and victory were are all so sincere and kindhearted. I think this is all something that comes with the size of the conference and the surroundings being created by the participants and founder of the conference.

Women Empowering Change Conference provided not only a safe space to share and open up about who we are. It is also a networking event for women who really want to make local lasting connections and even friendships. Most of the ladies I met last year, I have now worked with through the year and still keep in touch. The workshops and team building activities encourage us to actively participate and meet the women around us. These women, like most, wake up every day and make a positive impact not just for themselves and their families but for our community as a whole. Women Empowering Change is a conference that I truly wish will grow and gain community recognition, it is well deserved.  

I walk away with hope, feeling victorious and knowing that I have women on my side who will help me no matter what! 

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If you want to meet Shunte, then attend her next event and find out more about her and her story... 

https://totalbeautyexpo.eventbrite.com