During a trip to L.A. last week, I hung out with some famous people and got questioned by hotel security.
I also spent three days with 800 fierce, driven moms. By the time I left, I wanted to run down the street screaming, “I am woman. Hear me roar.”
It was my third year traveling to the Mom 2.0 Summit. It’s an event to celebrate moms who work and thrive in the creative space. Every year I feel a little guilty about leaving the boys and spending money to attend but by the time I leave, I feel empowered and recharged to be a better version of myself on every level.
Some of the keynotes were well-known individuals, including Debbie Allen, Kristen Bell, Natalie Morales and Brene Brown. Every one of them had inspiring words to say and left me feeling energized.
On the last night, they held the Iris Awards where writers, videographers, influencers, podcasters, bloggers and photographers are awarded. Each year, they have a surprise emcee and this year, it was Taye Diggs who I have to say, was so gracious and funny, even hanging out for hours afterward to chitchat with moms about their careers and kids. I always like when celebrities surprise me and are nice and humble.
And let me explain a little about the hotel security situation. With the jet lag thing going on, I was completely out of whack with sleeping and waking. Every morning I woke up around 4:00 a.m. because my body felt like it was 7:00 a.m.
The second morning, I decided to call my boys around 4:15 a.m. (7:15 a.m. their time). I knew they would be driving to school and I wanted to hear their little voices. I didn’t want to wake my roommates so I tip-toed across the hall to the ice machine room and called them from there.
Let me also include that I was wearing yoga pants and a comedic Christmas gift from my sister, which was a tank top that said “Don’t sweat my smile.” My hair was a mess and I couldn’t see very well because I was wearing neither glasses nor contacts. Just want to set the scene correctly.
Two large men with serious-looking ear buds opened the door to the ice machine room to make sure I was okay and to warn me it wasn’t safe to leave my door cracked. They asked me what I was doing and I said I was talking to my children on the East Coast. They seemed a bit perplexed but then again, they weren’t moms. Another mom would’ve totally understood.
Next time I won’t leave the door cracked.
It was a wonderful conference, as always. At these events, I’m reminded of goals I have that sometimes seem just out of my reach. But as so often happens when I’m around amazing women, I start to feel like I can do anything I put my mind to.
Life can get crazy insane and we often don’t have time or energy to work on our biggest dreams. We simply must put one foot in front of the other. And to be honest, my everyday life and those in it make me very happy, so I’m not complaining. But I do feel like I can get up a little earlier, stay up a bit later or organize my time better, so I can focus on some of my personal goals.
Thank you, Mom 2.0 Summit, for an awesome conference and for the perfect combination of relaxation, fun and inspiration. I am already looking forward to next year.
