East Bay Women's Conference

Read Diablo Managing Editor LeeAnne Jones' updates from Monday's conference in San Ramon.

On Monday, Diablo's Editor-in-Chief Susan Safipour and Managing Editor LeeAnne Jones attended this year's East Bay Women's Conference at the San Ramon Marriott. Sponsored by the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce, the conference's theme this year was Creating Impact: Influencing Positive Change, and how women can enrich, and affect positive change on, the world around them—the keynote speaker is popular Chilean-American author, and San Rafael resident, Isabel Allende.

Below, we posted LeeAnne's live updates from the conference, including exerpts from Allende's inspiring keynote speech. 

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5:03 p.m.
Conference Emcee Francene Anderson gives some final remarks and everyone makes their way out of the building.  The vendors have all packed up, and there's a line forming at vallet.  It was a great conference with many inspirational tid-bits to take back to our workplaces and share.  Looking forward to 2010...

4:32 p.m.
Eileen Crane, CEO and founding winemaker at Domaine Carneros, tells the history of bubbly—as we're drinking bubbly.  She encourages everyone to enjoy a glass of champagne every evening, and definitely on Fridays.  "Celebrate the weekend!"  Man, I wish it wasn't Monday...

4:20 p.m.
Prize drawings, champagne, and appetizers.  Can it get any better?

3:43 p.m.
Ellis names the areas of opportunities for women: sustainability and green technology, IT, healthcare, holistic medicine and self-help, continuing education, customer service, mediation and conflict resolution, and coaching and counseling.

3:23 p.m.
"Give people what they want, not what you think they need.  The market is the market genius."

3:21 p.m.
Second Sophia Loren reference of the day (the first was during the keynote)!

3:00 p.m.
Session three: Future Trends, Future Opportunities for Women by Marilyn Ellis, certified life coach and founder of Lighthouse Organizers.  She begins by making predictions of what the future will look like: By 2011, no MB and GB (only exobytes, terrabytes, and yoltabytes) and no phone land lines.  2012: 75 percent of software will be by subscription.  2013: No more inherited disease.  2015: End of gas shortage and beginning of water shortage.  2016: Personal robots in common use. 2025: Life expectancy exceeds 100 years, and biometric homes that adjust to your needs and wants (light, heat, sound, aroma therapy...).

2:56 p.m.
Perused the "book store." He's Just Not That Into You sits next to Accounting for Dummies.  It's a full spectrum of women's interests here.  Plus, signed copies of Isabel Allende's books.  Cool!

2:29 p.m.
We run through the last of the steps:
Step 8: Get in action, accept the risk, eliminate sabatoge.
Step 9: Manage your priorities
Step 10: Goal-set effectively

2:24 p.m.
Step 7: Preparation and sacrifice.  Okay, okay, another favorite quote: "I'm not overwhelmed—I'm just in demand!"

2:21 p.m.
Favorite quote of the day: "All you desire you already are. A seed is a tree—you just can't see it yet."

2:18 p.m.
More steps:
Step 4: Get your head in the game (You are moved by your dominant thoughts.  "It's all a story—why not make it a positive one?"
Step 5: Develop a support staff and advisory board.
Step 6: Work on your belief constantly

2:03 p.m.
Caterina admits, as a kid, she lined up her stuffed animals and pets and made them listen to her speak. "I'm fulfilling one of my dreams right now.  Give me some applause!"

1:53 p.m.
She is an absolutely delightful, a natural speaker.  She shares her first three steps in going from vision to victory:
Step 1: Take an inventory of your dreams.
Step 2: Develop a gratitude journal.
Step 3: Create a dream book (collect pictures and words that are meaningful, and remember to record when dreams come true)

1:45 p.m.
Time for session two: Taking Your Vision to Victory by Caterina Harris, Independent National Sales Director, Mary Kay.

12:55 p.m.
Standing ovation. This crowd is smitten.

1:52 p.m.
"I have no time to hold grudges, buy expensive fashions, go on diets ... I will enjoy writing; I will sleep with my husband; I will die happy."

12:37 p.m.
It's truly amazing how she can seemlessly weave from hilarious to inspiring.  She's now sharing stories of women who have remained joyful amid terrible tragedy.  "We can live with risk, but we don't have to live in fear ... We live in a culture of stress. We think suffering will buy us something. Heaven, maybe ... Happiness is a choice.  You can choose happiness even when all around you is darkness...  Strength is always there; we have to train the muscles."

12:32 p.m.
This woman is an absolute riot. She's managed to work in references to condoms, pole dancing, viagra.  On her marriage: "Mature love is falling apart together."

12:15 p.m.
Author Isabel Allende, the keynote speaker, begins by saying: "Eat your dessert."  Will do!  You should see the size of the slice of chocolate cake in front of me!!!

12:45 p.m.
Elizabeth Colton of the International Museum of Women reminds us it's Women's History Month and tells stories of empowered women who changed their ommunities. She says, "If you have passion and focus, you can create change."
Kristy Kaplan of John Muir Health talks about making health changes now—not when we have a dramatic wake-up call. "You are where you are ... and that's okay ... Don't feel guilty. Make one good change at a time.

11:56 a.m.
Spotted: Bedford Gallery Curator Carrie Lederer

11:33 a.m.
Time is flying, and she's unable to get through the prepared slides.  I leave with a helpful list of tips for professionals using LinkedIn and Facebook.

8 Things You Must Do:
1. Know who you want to reach
2. Write a summary (goals, who you are, what you want - concise, bulleted)
3. Create a tagline that gets attention
4. Complete your profile
5. Add a picture
6. Look for groups to join ("People tend to want to help when you have
something in common")
7. Ask for recommendations
8. Contribute informative answers

Top 10 Mistakes:
10. Accepting every request to connect
9. Not managing your network
8. Claiming expertise you don't have
7. Putting too much personal information out there
6. Adding old/outdated information
5. Making it all about you (it's about helping each other)
4. Forgetting you're in a public forum
3. Behaving unprofessionally
2. Taking things too personally
1. Thinking no one is looking

11:00 a.m.
My first breakout session: Getting the Most Out of Social Networking presented by Mary Beth Deans of Douglas Partners.  She covers this stuff on a blog, too: http://mbdeans.blogspot.com/

10:33 a.m.
That was fantastic!

10:21 a.m.
There are four generations in the workforce today.  This should be dynamic, but often it creates conflict.  Know the differences ...
The Traditional Generation (pre-1945) had signposts like WWII and the Great Depression. They delay gratification and work for the greater good.  They are loyal to the company.  The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) grew up learning to share.  They also challenged the status quo.  They are loyal to the team.  Gen-Xers (1965-1980) were latchkey kids with their own televisions.  They are independent workers and learners. They are loyal to self.  Generation Y (post-1980) have the same parents as Generation X (Baby Boomers), but the parenting style is much different.  They are close to their parents (soccer moms, stay-at-home dads, play dates), are tech savvy, and have a high sense of self-worth.  They desire bonding.

10:09 a.m.
Joke's on us: Our same descriptions appeared in a 1960s Time magazine article describing the Baby Boomer generation.  What we're describing is simply a "youthful" generation, and everyone's been there of course.

10:05 a.m.
Meagan Johnson, of the Johnson Training Group, has the room in stitches describing Generation Y.

8:58 a.m.
KGO's Rosie Allen welcomes the crowd: "Despite this morning's economic news, let's make today positive."  She also mentions that one of the raffle prizes is a ride in KGO's Jetcopter 810.  Hello awesome!
-LeeAnne

8:32 a.m.
Lovin' the Whole Foods tote swag bag!
-LeeAnne

8:05 a.m.
I have arrived.  Paid for valet rather than walk from self-park in the pouring rain ... hehehe. Lots of businesswomen milling about, continental breakfast awaits, and the energy is high.
-LeeAnne

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