By Olivia Morris, WLP '16
Through the theme of “Building Healthy Lives,” and breakout sessions on finance, nutrition, online presence and incorporating physical movement, this year’s Women’s Leadership Conference developed ways for modern women to understand how they could achieve success in almost every area of their lives, and balance the full plates of responsibilities that they have before them.
The keynote speaker, Brigadier General Tammy Smith, serves as a clear demonstration of a leader who learned balance throughout her career. As the first openly gay general in the United States military, she recounted the struggle of hiding her true self so she could continue to pursue a career in the Army. As she noted, she lived a very compartmentalized life and almost had two different identities.
The idea from General Smith’s story that most stood out to me was the notion of “small acts of leadership.” She spoke about the small acts that people showed her, like making sure she and her partner were doing okay through sending an email. However, the very act of remaining in the Army because of passion for her country, and now being a proud member of the LGBT community and the Army, shows a small act of leadership. Because of this passion, Brig. Gen. Smith can now serve as a role model for thousands of young people aspiring to balance all the different ways they identify as human beings, all while striving for happiness. She showed that despite barriers, through a dedication to whatever you’re passionate about, a healthy, happy and balanced life is possible. Furthermore, Brig. Gen. Smith embodied the humility and sincerity that every leader should strive for, and that align with her small acts of leadership.
The four breakout sessions contributed to the learning involved throughout the day. I attended a breakout session on movement and a physical presence that especially stood out to me. It was led by Ashley Thorndike-Youssef, the Executive Director of Now Next Dance/Now Next Body. Prior to the conference, I had never heard of anything like incorporating movement from ballet and dance to everyday life.
Through the movements that Ashley taught us, I could feel the stress leaving my muscles, and my brain starting to become more alert. Just the simple and freeing act of moving my hands and fingers in any way I wanted brightened my mood. My favorite takeaway from this session was the ballet idea of letting yourself become totally comfortable on-stage by yourself. I don’t think this could have connected better to women’s leadership today. Women are definitely making their way into higher level positions and being put on a stage by themselves, but are we stressing out too much about how the rest of the world perceives us as we work? With more eyes on us, do we worry too much about our body image?
From Ashley’s perspective, we need to be grateful for our bodies, for they are truly a gift. And by the end of the session, I could definitely see how my body is a gift that I can use to calm myself of life’s pressures, and a way in which to connect with and enjoy the rest of the world.