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On January 26th, 2017, Kathleen McGraw lead us through creating a vision board. A vision board is a visual representation of what you envision for your life. Getting clarity on what you really want out of life and then living with focused intentions can result in nothing short of miracles! This simple step of beginning to harness the power of your subconscious mind can help you get focused and accomplish your goals.

Here are some comments from the event:

Kathlee McGraw

"THANK YOU for sharing your dreams tonight and allowing me to challenge you to uncover your greatness! Powerful, vibrant, authentic women changing lives! Breakthroughs ... tears ... awareness ... accepting worthiness ... holding each other accountable ....taking action! BOOM! Love you all

Dawn Luptowski

"Love this amazing group of women who I can laugh and cry with! Would have never uncovered what I need to focus on without this night."

Jenny Gaudreau-Dumont

"My soul was fed!!! Thank you ladies for trusting in the vision of WIL!"

Krista Moon

"Thanks for introducing me to Vision Boards. It was a great experience! It's interesting when you put a time limit on it, because you have to get it done. You can't think too much. My first one turned out to be a word cloud of some of my core values (at least I think that's what all those words are leaning towards!). We'll see where it ends up! I think it's a work in progress."

Suzanne Sharp

"Healthy, inspiring energy in that room tonight! Thanks for letting me be part of it and for the wonderful lead Kathleen!"

The first ever Junior Achievement (JA) Mentor Circle took place on February 21, 2017, at Saginaw Valley State University in partnership with Women in Leadership.

At this event, 126 high school young ladies participated in roundtable discussions with professional women in a variety of industries. The mission was to offer support and guidance to the next generation of women leaders. When they succeed, we all succeed!

The day wrapped up with networking, lunch with ladies from Women in Leadership, and an inspiring presentation by Barbara Littles, Leadership Coach and CEO of Purpose by Design on The Power of Mentoring and Being Mentored.

JA Mentor Circle

Click to watch the WNEM news story.

The girls and their mentors gathered at SVSU Curtiss Hall for the first session of the JA Mentor Circle Educational Program. Women from various industries including law, business, education, engineering, politics and more shared experiences, answered questions, and showed solidarity with the young ladies.

Here's what some of them had to say about their experience:

“I loved everything about the day. It was personal, yet empowering. I’ve realized how important it is to have a mentor. Today I am going home with more confidence and a better outlook on life. Thank you. I am proud to be a woman.”

“I would love to attend this event again. It was a great experience.”

“Thank you to both of my mentors. You really helped me to see a new point of view of life. I am not going to run away from fear, and to stay prepared for whatever comes my way.”

Women in Leadership and JA Mentor Circle Luncheon

After the morning discussion, the girls and their mentors joined the Women in Leadership luncheon.

Presentation: The Power of Mentoring and Being Mentored

During lunch, Barbara Littles shared how mentoring relationships can promote career and personal growth for everyone involved. Here's what Beth Bryce, Career Strategist and Women in Leadership member had to say about her presentation:

"Barbara is what everyone would hope to have in a mentor, truly. She inspires me to see bigger, dream bigger and do bigger, she asks tough questions and challenges me.

Homework from Barbara:

1. What type of mentor do you need? Academic, career, personal, business
2. Name 3 people who you would consider asking to mentor you
3. What would you want to learn from each of those persons?
4. Write how you will make those requests and when

I hope you have an awesome mentor, make that mentors, plural. And that you have the opportunity to pay it forward mentoring others, which is an honor and gift...both ways.

Women supporting women, always. "

 

A night of wine took place on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Twenty-six fabulous women gathered at U Me Paint Experience in Saginaw to enjoy some delicious red and white wines from Wines for Humanity. Darlene Anderson, a WIL member, presented each wine telling us what kind it was and where it comes from. Wine was available for purchase that night with a percentage of the proceeds going to Women in Leadership.

Here are a few wine tips we learned from Darlene.

• Serve red at 65 degrees, white at 55 degrees, and sparkling/champagne at 45 degrees
• When serving reds, put them in the refrigerator for 20 mins beforehand. Whites are typically stored in the refrigerator and need to be pulled out 20 minutes before serving.
• How to taste wine: Sight-swirl-sniff-sip-swallow
• Serve mild wine with mild food and Strong wine with strong food serve
• Match the origin of the wine with the origin of the food

A birthday cake was enjoyed for co-chair member, Dawn Luptowski along with a wonderful spread of crackers, cheese, and fruit. It was a fun filled night of strong women, delicious wine, great conversation, and lots of laughter.

 

Our April 18, 2017 luncheon focused on women’s health, specifically heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death for women. Our guest speaker, Jamie Richardson – a fitness trainer and Go Red for Women supporter – shared her moving story on how she dealt with an unexpected heart problem at a

Having experienced a bout of fatigue in her late 20’s, Jamie attributed it to the demands of being a new mother and her career. When she suddenly fainted one morning and ended up in the emergency room twice that day after a fainting a second time, she was shocked to learn she was diagnosed with a heart condition that would cause her to need a pacemaker.

Having been healthy throughout her life, and with no history of heart problems in her family, the event caused Jamie to take a new look at her health. Without any major physical symptoms or health issues, we as women can often take our health for granted. Jamie decided to make fitness a consistent part of her life, trying various exercise classes and taking up running. Throughout the past 10 years she has made changes in her diet, and now runs marathons and teaches kick boxing classes at her local gym. Reaching out to the community and increasing awareness of heart disease is Jamie’s passion, and she is living proof you can be in control of your health and feel the empowerment that comes with healthy lifestyle changes!

Our April luncheon also marked our One Year Anniversary! Throughout the past year we have developed a dynamic group of strong supportive women, eager to connect and inspire each other. We continue to grow and look forward to more exciting years to come!

 

 

Our May 16, 2017 luncheon was an event above all else! The event was centered on helping women look and feel their best, and therefore included two pre-event options, makeup and headshots. Makeup touchups were provided by Leslie Perry, owner of Leslie Perry Cosmetics. Leslie used her expertise to emphasize facial features, creating the perfect camera ready look. If you’re interested in ordering directly from Leslie Perry Cosmetics, please click here.

Members also had an opportunity to update their professional headshot with Kaitlyn Cole, owner of Kaitlyn’s Creations. Kaitlyn is a professional photographer, videographer, and graphic designer located in the Tri-Cities area. Kaitlyn is passionate about making people feel confidant, and her skill and passion shined through during her photoshoots.

During the Luncheon Leslie shared with members and guests her personal tips for organizing.  She talked about the three steps she recommends to keeping a closet clean, organized, and easy to navigate in the morning. She also shared a quick morning makeup look and a time line to change your basics.

Check out Leslie's presentation below!

In September Women in Leadership welcomed Barb Boxwell, licensed massage therapist and owner of Midland Myofascial Release & Therapeutic Massage. Barb spoke with us on the benefits of therapeutic massage for pain relief, specifically Craniosacral and Myofascial Release therapies.

Many people are not aware that these specific types of massage therapies are an excellent alternative to traditional pain treatments. Patients who have had little success with pain management or have experienced unwelcomed side effects from medication have found relief through Barb’s services. She gave examples of her success with patients who are recovering from painful knee and shoulder surgeries, and those who wish to avoid surgeries in the future.

Barb informed us about how glial cells work in the brain and the function of the glymphatic system. This system creates a path for the brain to eliminate waste, when this path fails, over time the results can cause brain conditions and diseases such as Alszheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It was interesting to learn that these specific therapies can not only help people with physical conditions, but also those who suffer from migraines, fibromyalgia, fatigue, and even children and adults with ADD and ADHD.

Through these specific therapeutic treatments, her clients have found the pain to be significantly diminished or eliminated completely and without side effects. If you or someone you know could benefit from her services, please contact Barb Boxell for a free consultation. She can be reached at 989-859-3998.

We had an exceptional attendance at our October WIL luncheon! Featured speaker Tammy Bernier, CEO of Duperon Corporation, attracted a one of our largest crowds with her thoughtful insights on women and men working together in the workplace.

One aspect Tammy discussed was how women and men process tasks differently while working. Men tend to approach a task list in a linear manner, while women tend to multitask. Tammy spoke not only of the differences in men and women’s work styles, but how we can embrace each other’s strengths in our diverse work culture. Tammy’s interactive presentation also asked attendees to team up in pairs and discuss their beliefs on how they view the “typical” personality traits of the opposite sex. It was an interesting and engaging afternoon!

Women in Leadership hosts luncheon’s and events every month. We invite you to join us! Check out what’s coming next on our events page.

Beth Bryce, a former WIL member who recently moved out of state to pursue her dream, award-winning Career Strategist & Transformation Coach, and Founder of her own career coaching company and Daring Circle Ranch, commented on our blog post about last year's Vision Board party. It was such a great comment that I wanted to share it with you! Here's what she said:

"It was an incredible evening that set the intention for my 2017 goals that all came true! I am now living in my new home in New Mexico! Wishing you all a fabulous 2018 kick off. Here are 12 questions to help you honor 2017 first (journal away) and possibly gain clarity on your theme for the New Year:

1. What did you enjoy doing this year?
2. What are you grateful for?
3. Who are you grateful for?
4. What is your biggest win this year?
5. What did you read, watch and listen to that made the most impact for you?
6. What did you worry about most and how did it turn out?
7. What was your biggest regret and why?
8. What is one thing that changed about yourself?
9. What most surprised you this year?
10. If you can go back to January 1 what suggestion would you give your past self?
11. What makes this year unforgettable?
12. What new thing did you learn and do this year?"