Make An Impact with espnW!
Make an Impact. It's easier said than done. I had the privilege of attending the espnW Women + Sports Summit for the second year and came back inspired and motivated to do more. For those of you that were unable to attend the event, let me share some of my takeaways and perspectives from the summit and a few play by plays of this uplifting event.
I was welcomed to the event by some excellent staffers and given my Summit Agenda, credentials and pass to visit the sponsor gifting suite. I was not expecting such great sponsor swag, but Under Armour, JBL Audio, Toyota, espnW and Gatorade know how to make me feel appreciated. After snagging some new workout gear, snacks, headphones and a selfie with the JBL surfboard, I was ready to go!
The Summit swag was a perk, but it wasn't why I had come to this great event. I had come to learn, grow and connect with other leaders in the Women's Sports Industry. After a few hours of downtime and exploring the resort with my amazing friend, Asheton Brown (Smasheton), I headed down to the welcome dinner and opening remarks.
The Summit opened with amazing speakers and Sarah Robb O'Hagen, the President of Equinox gave an inspiring speech about the fitness industry and how to Live the High Performance Life. Her energy filled the room and got the Summit off to a great start. Later that evening we heard from Olympic Athletes, Natalie Coughlin, Amy Purdy and Elena Delle Donne. They spoke on how to achieve excellence and how to deal with failures and setbacks. Keep pushing no matter what, because giving up is harder than not trying.
Following these amazing speakers was cocktails, networking and reuniting with colleagues and acquaintances from last year. I had the privilege of meeting Kacy Catanzaro, of American Ninja Warrior fame, and had a great conversation with her about her time on the show, training and the future. Don't let anyone pull you down.
After a long evening I finally headed to bed and was soon awoken for my 7am Sunrise Sports session with Kathryn Budig. Kathryn is an Under Armour sponsored yoga instructor and was extremely good at instructing our class. I tried a few new poses and have so much respect for yogis!
Morning sessions were followed by breakfast. Every meal featured a motivational quote on our napkins at the table and really inspired us. I was looking forward to hearing Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). I worked in marketing for the Sacramento Capitals World Team Tennis team in 2012 and 2013 and was interested in hearing about the future of women's tennis. While what we heard it confidential for now, be sure to stay tuned for exciting things happening in the women's professional tennis world!
In the breakout sessions, Kacy Catanzaro gave an excellent 10 minute talk on overcoming obstacles and not letting other peoples opinions of you bring you down. You often have to find a different way to get something done than everyone else based on your size or experience, but you can still do great things. Kacy is an inspiration and I hope to see many more great things from her in the future!
There were endless inspirational speakers and I wish I could share all the knowledge I gleaned with you. One of my favorite talks was from Becca Van Dyck, Head of Consumer and Brand marketing at Facebook, formerly of Wieden and Kennedy, Nike, Apple and Levi's. She is great at what she does and shared the fact that you can't be afraid to make mistakes. When you make a mistake learn from it and find a better way to solve the problem. She also shared that you often have to take risks and follow your heart when it comes to career moves and making a difference for brands. I would have loved to have chatted personally with her, but I was unable to find her after the talk.
For the afternoon sport on Thursday I chose surfing. I was excited for my first time to be at the Summit. I even was able to get up on a wave with the help of an instructor in San Clemente! The weather and beach was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better place to learn. Hopefully I will be back next year for more fun!
After a quick shower and change I was able to make it back for evening talks, dinner and more evening networking. I met so many fun, interesting and passionate people. I wish there were more opportunities to do this year round. I suppose I will have to try to make more of these happen!
The final day of the summit was Friday and I did a tough morning workout with Dr. Jordan Metzl. Following the workout there were many more inspirational speakers. The afternoon closed with lunch and a commitment to make an impact in women's sports in the coming year. I was surprised and honored to have been recognized for the "One Thing" I did last year following the Summit. I co-founded W3Move (pronounced We Move) with Arie Rich and Adriana Cesar.
W3 Move is a running and fitness crew founded on the idea that sweating every day gives you strength. We believe that everyone has the power to change his or her life through fitness and movement. We provide the tools to motivate, encourage and inspire you to empower yourself. We are stronger together.
Founded by three women from New York, Washington DC and the San Francisco Bay Area, we want to spread the message that movement is power. United: W3 Move the world.
Join us in spreading the movement!
You can follow us on Instagram @w3move for inspiration and I always welcome suggestions for growing the movement! A huge thank you goes out to espnW for recognizing my efforts! I hope to grow and expand the movement throughout the coming year.
The espnW Summit is an amazing event that helps to share ideas, spread the movement and expand the ability of women and girls everywhere to be able to play sports and be treated equally to our male peers. Thank you so much espnW for bringing so many leaders in sport together.
See you in 2015!