National Networking Conference NYC!

Today was one of the most exciting and inspiring days in my professional life. I had the great pleasure and true honor to be invited as a featured speaker at the National Association of Professional Women's National Networking Conference in NYC.

The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is a network for professional women to interact, exchange ideas, educate, and empower. The NAPW provides their members with a wealth of resources, benefits, and services dedicated to enhancing their lives and promoting their businesses and careers. Their mission is to provide the most advanced forum for members to connect with like-minded professional women to foster professional and personal success.

Here I am with the founder of the NAPW, Matt Proman.

Waiting backstage with Randi Zuckerberg of Facebook and R to Z Studios and Christina Norman of The Huffington Post.

There was an incredible turnout - 1,200 women!

Our panel was about making a career change and how we made the decision to switch gears. I spoke about my time on Passions, my idea for Sage Spoonfuls and the decision to pursue it once Brendan was born so prematurly. 

Randi was talking about how she always wanted to be a professional opera singer growing up. In fact, her turning point came when she was auditioning for the music program at Harvard and didn't get in because she could not play the piano which was a requirment of the program. It was then she turned her focus to other things and of course ended up being a core part of Facebook. A good move indeed!  

Star Jones led the panel and was absolutely wonderful!

Christina Norman was also on the panel with us. She is an amazing woman. She is the former CEO of Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network and is now an editor of the Huffington Post. She had so much wonderful insight to lend.

Here I am with Sara Blakely, the owner and creator of Spanx. Sara is a true inspiration. She is the youngest female self-made billionaire! Her story of success is incredible. No one believed in her idea, in fact her patent attorney laughed at her and thought he was on candid camera when she told him her idea. Of course, she believed in herself and her idea...and is now laughing all the way to the bank. I don't know anyone who isn't a fan of Spanx - thank you Sara!

Sara was so nice and approachable, we were comparing which Spanx we were each wearing. After having had 3 kids in 4 years, I am rarely without a pair of Spanx nearby!

This was an amazing day and one I will not soon forget!

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