Last weekend was filled with inspiration, Real Talk and Empowerment! Radio One did something a little different this year by starting Women’s Empowerment Events on Friday. There were seminars being hosted by different local and national celebrities, entrepreneurs, authors, makeup artists, hair stylists and life coaches . This event was FREE to the public and was held at the Hampton Inn & Suites Crabtree Valley Raleigh, NC. Later on that evening Michelle Hargrove with Restoration Weekend stopped by the Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines Headquarters with some of her friends to talk with some Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts. The theme was Restoring The Glam! It was awesome for her to stop by with Lisa Price (Founder of Carols Daughter), Chris Gees (Celebrity Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist) and Toni Acey (Celebrity Master Airbrush Makeup Artist). They talked about self love, being beautiful and embracing your flaws. Sometimes what may we may feel is a personal flaw to us, is envied by someone else. Ex: I have so many people tell me they love my natural hair, texture and curl pattern. I can’t seem to get with it, I don’t love it. I’ll be two years natural in August! I’m super picky when it comes to my hair but, I’m learning to embrace it.
Michelle also told the girls to say something positive when they look in the mirror like… “Hey Beautiful!” OR “I’m Cute!” also sharing tips on how to combat when being criticized or mocked by peers. “You Tried It!” or “You Thought!” We had some teen participation when coming up with these terms. Lol! I absolutely LOVED when Chris Gees told the girls to RESPECT their body and not to post risqué pictures on social media, snap chat in particular because that never goes away. There were tips shared about hairstyles, makeup, and fashion. Lisa Price shared her journey to Carols Daughter. We all agreed that you should pursue your passion and live your dream. Go to school of course and have a plan in place before pursuing that dream. Overall, it was a great program. I left feeling inspired and it wasn’t even for me. Ha! Fast Forward to Saturday at PNC Arena for the Women’s Empowerment Main Event. I can’t describe the energy in the building. The vendors were absolutely great even with the massive crowd and long lines at the booths. I got a chance to visit the Lenovo Booth and chat with some of my friends while walking the PNC Arena concourse. I really got my walking in on Friday & Saturday! I had my Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro in tow as I was micro blogging during the event. I’ll share with you some of my absolute favorite moments…
One thing that seemed to be consistent this past weekend was talking about loving yourself completely. Look in the mirror and liking/loving what you see. I really wanted chance to meet Bishop TD Jakes but, I missed him and heard that he spoke a good word. Here are some of his quotes from this past weekends Women’s Empowerment Keynote. “This is your year to do something with what you’ve been thinking about.”, “Your mind is the womb of your spirit.”, “You can’t be FREE until you tell yourself the TRUTH!”, Don’t put a period where God put a coma.”, “You are one thought away from your next miracle.”, “STOP stinking thinking! Give your mind a bath. Your thoughts have value.” – Bishop TD Jakes. I know I needed to hear a few of those things. I really enjoyed all the music Artists that performed. The Black Men Revealed Panel had me giggling because of the humor but it’s real talk coming from men and ladies… We want to know what the men are thinking. Russ Parr was moderator and Damon Dash, Eric Benet, Omari Hardwick and Kem were the panelists. Here are some takeaways from that panel. “Like you and be whole before entering a relationship. A piece of a man and a piece of a woman don’t make a whole relationship.”, There’s nothing more sexy than a woman with self confidence and authenticity.” “Women, stop hating on each other. It’s okay to give another woman a compliment.”
“If you’re cheating, don’t let your girl go through your phone.”, “Women’s attitudes is NOT a race thing, women think complex with emotion. Men think logically, rational and have to evolve to the emotional thinking.” “Ladies, keep those feet looking good. Men don’t like a woman that doesn’t take care of her feet. Funny thing is I agreed with most of what was said. I got to meet a few people up close and personal like Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon Martin’s Mother), Jussie Smollett, Kem, Eric Benet and Neyo. They were all awesome! I can’t wait to see what Women’s Empowerment 2016 will bring!
