by Katie Lance
WomanUP! 2019 was truly a transformational experience for me. First, I was so honored to be asked by Sara Sutachan and Debra Trappen to debut a brand-new and very personal keynote on “Living Your Best Life.” This presentation was truly a labor of love and as I stood onstage – I don’t think I’ve ever felt more vulnerable onstage.
Regardless of my fears - the reception was amazing – to have countless people come up to me and tell me they were in tears at the end of my presentation just blew me away. I’ll also never forget getting offstage and seeing Sara and Debra running toward me with hugs and tears in their eyes. I am so grateful for their support personally!
Second – the conversations and connections I made at this event were truly incredible. Perhaps it was because for the first time in a long time – we all lowered our guard and stopped pretending we “had it all together.” I had more real conversations with people at this event than I have had at most other events.
I have a lot of takeaways but I thought I would share a few of my top favorite moments from listening to the speakers onstage:
Valerie Alexander blew me away – she and I have known each other online for years but this was the first event we finally met in person! I loved her talk and she shared three key takeaways for me:
Amplify others – don’t repeat what someone is saying but direct the conversation back to them.
Sponsor others – speak for someone when you aren’t in the room – be their hero.
Examine your behavior and your unconscious bias. Have the courage to examine your own behavior and our preset beliefs about people who don’t look like us!
I loved hearing Sherry Chris on stage and she talked about the definition of holding people accountable – she said it was “noticing without judgment” – loved that!
I also really enjoyed hearing from Beate Chelette – she said, “What is you played just a little bit bigger?” Loved that – and will take that to heart as I plan out my 2020!
Lastly – the lioness Debra spoke to me when she said from stage – “What are you tolerating??” This really spoke to me – I think we all tolerate the big things in life but what about the little things that you could take care of that would improve your life dramatically! Great reminder Deb!
I can’t wait for the next WomanUP – see you next year!
Katie Lance is the author of #GetSocialSmart and founder and CEO of Katie Lance Consulting, a social media strategy firm. She's been recognized by Inman News as one of the 100 most influential people in real estate and is a featured keynote speaker at many industry events. Her #GetSocialSmart Academy features on-demand social media education to help real estate professionals take their social media strategy to the next level.