You're not "just a mom" – How the Women's Wellness Summit celebrates our complex identities

Carolyn Williams never expected that becoming a mother in her mid-thirties would completely transform her professional trajectory. "I got absolutely obliterated in the postpartum experience," she shares with disarming honesty. That personal struggle revealed a deeper truth—countless women exist in chronic survival mode, a reality that demanded action.

From this revelation, the Women's Wellness Summit was born. As founder and CEO, Carolyn created a revolutionary approach to female wellbeing that unites eight dimensions of wellness under one roof: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, financial, occupational, and environmental. The summit provides a centralized location where women can explore these dimensions through immersive experiences rather than piecing together support from disconnected resources.

Perhaps the most powerful insight from our conversation addresses the reductionist view of female identity. "So often people distill human complexity to a singular identity," Carolyn observes. We discuss why the phrase "just a mom" fundamentally misunderstands women's multifaceted nature and contributions. The summit creates space for women to celebrate their complete selves rather than fragmenting their identities.

We explore practical wisdom for everyday life, from the strength found in saying "no" (which actually means saying "yes" to something more important) to the necessity of corporate policies like mandatory parental leave. Carolyn's approach to wellness embraces women's changing needs across different life seasons, recognizing that social connections, physical needs, and mental health support must evolve as women move through various stages.

Ready to show up for yourself and connect with a community that honors your complexity? Join us at the Women's Wellness Summit on April 26th at UVU in Orem, Utah. With featured speaker Ralphie Jacobs on scientific parenting, 25 diverse breakout sessions, and a day dedicated to your wellbeing, this event promises to be transformative. Because when women thrive, everyone benefits—families grow stronger, workplaces become more dynamic, and communities flourish.

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Transcript

Welcome to Elevate Podcast

Speaker 1 0:04

Welcome to Elevate . Every community needs champions with vision and grit . Today , we engage with those who are creating value wherever they go in the state . Hi , we're back for another episode of the Women's Leadership Institute podcast , elevate , and , as always , we have an amazing guest . We have Carolyn Williams here today . She is the founder and CEO of the Women's Wellness Summit and I can't wait for you to meet her . She's going to be your best friend by the end of this podcast and I'm so excited about it . Welcome .

Speaker 2 0:35

Thank you for having me , patti , I appreciate it .

Speaker 1 0:37

Yes , absolutely

Meet Carolyn Williams

Speaker 1 0:38

Okay . So let's dive in . First of all , I want to give a shout out to one of our WI alums , because she knew me really well and she knew you , and she just messaged on LinkedIn and said you are two cool people and I think you need to know each other .

Speaker 2 0:55

She is a sugar for the record , and so I am like so grateful that she introduced us .

Speaker 1 0:59

She's a master networker . She's down to earth and she knows who she is . She's her networker .

Speaker 2 1:01

She's down to earth , yes , she is , and she knows who she is .

Speaker 1 1:04

Yes , she does , and she pays it forward . So , shout out , shout out . Okay , so I've kind of told you name and title , but I want you to introduce yourself more kind of , give your background , whatever you want to share , and I also want you to give us something personal .

Speaker 2 1:25

You know , whether you like to dance in the kitchen or you like fast cards or whatever , that might be something personal as well Great . So I'm Carolyn Williams of the Women's Wellness Summit , and it's all about amplifying women's voices , impact and influence by creating a centralized location for women to actually have immersive experiences within the eight dimensions of wellness . And it all came to be because I had a little boy about 18 months ago and you're first , first , yeah , yeah and listen , in Utah , I'm pretty much grandma status because I'm in my mid-30s .

Speaker 1 1:53

And it's like , oh my gosh , you're having your first kid . You know like what Right ?

Speaker 2 1:57

So , needless to say , I cerebrally understood that parenthood was going to be hard , but then you get thrown into the arena . Instead of the nose bleeds , yeah . And let me tell you , I got absolutely obliterated in the postpartum experience , and the more women I talked to , the more I realized everyone is on chronic survival mode . It's a thing . Yeah , and I disapprove of that message . There are far too many women who are incredibly talented . You're like , why are we living with this ? Yeah , what is the beef here , sisters ? Like , let's rally .

Speaker 2 2:32

So got in touch with an amazing event producer and we partnered together to create the Women's Wellness Summit . Love it . And I never would have seen this side of life had it not been for my little boy , and it has been eye-opening and humbling . I get served humble pie like on the hour every time , and so that is how the summit came to be , and especially with the encouragement of my husband , alan . He just wanted me to dream bigger and to think bigger , and he has been an absolute , stellar support in every possible way . And something personal I love dancing with my little boy in the kitchen we jam out .

Speaker 2 3:18

I tell Alexa to play some Teddy Swims . Okay .

Speaker 1 3:21

I was just going to say what's the music of choice .

Speaker 2 3:23

Yep , teddy Swims . He is my go-to musician and we just go ham town . We have the best moves for only us and nobody else .

Speaker 1 3:35

That's right . Those are the best moves .

Speaker 2 3:38

Yeah , so yeah , that's that's a little bit about us .

Speaker 1 3:42

That's perfect . We were cleaning out our music , our playlist , family playlist and I still have my kids are a little bit older on the playlist Brush your teeth , brush your teeth . And I'm like , ok , those times I love them , yeah . So I love to hear that . Just before the podcast , you were telling me what a support your husband has been in this and that maybe it would have been something different without his like dream bigger .

Speaker 2 4:07

Yeah , what a gift .

Speaker 1 4:08

I'd love to hear a little bit more about that .

Speaker 2 4:10

Yes , so here we are in the middle of the postpartum experience and I'm talking with Ellen and I'm asking him how can we help women ? Because when women feel better , everybody benefits from the inside out . I mean , the homes are stronger , families are better , communities are lifted . It's just this complete and utter lift when women are well , because so many people depend on the mom and I didn't realize that Right .

Speaker 1 4:40

Because you don't know until you know .

Speaker 2 4:41

Yeah , you don't know until you're in the trenches , yeah , and I was sitting there saying , well , why don't we just do like a 50 person retreat ? And he said , carolyn , I need you to think bigger . I was like what do you mean ?

Speaker 1 4:55

That's pretty big , that's a pretty big size of people .

Speaker 2 4:58

You know , going from like a retreat of 10 to 15 to 50 . Yeah , that's a pretty strong increase , my opinion . And he's like carolyn , you're literally talking to a woman who has gathered thousands of people across the country . Why don't you think bigger ? And I thought , oh my gosh , I don't have to do it all and be it all , I just need to know the right people , bring it in and make the magic happen . And so

Creating the Women's Wellness Summit

Speaker 2 5:26

it's all about gathering those resources and gathering those people . And he's been phenomenal . I mean , he's been our designer , he's been my sounding board , he's been just one of those people that it's like well , have you thought about this and have you thought about that ? And that's so great . 100% he's behind it , which has made the world of difference . Yes , because if he wasn't , there's no way I could get this off the ground .

Speaker 1 5:48

It makes it super hard . Yeah , for sure , yeah .

Speaker 2 5:50

And then balancing motherhood and business owner and wife , all of the things and all of the hats that we wear . Sure , it's one of those miracles of having those moments together that we get to lift , yeah , and I really appreciate that about him .

Speaker 1 6:07

That's so cool and I like light bulb in my head when you said wait . I don't have to do this all alone . No , I could just get really cool people to help me . Then I get to make something amazing and meet cool people . It's like a win-win .

Speaker 1 6:24

Win on every possible capacity , but I so often I think I can't speak for men , but , especially as myself , if I have a big idea , I think how am I going to get that done ? And sometimes we don't do things because we're like , wow , that's overwhelming . So I love that you just reframed it in that way . You know , I think that's so great .

Speaker 2 6:43

Yeah , like , how are we going ? To make this happen and what does that look like and feel like ?

Speaker 1 6:47

Yes .

Speaker 2 6:48

Who needs to be in the right seat in the right bus at the right time , because there are times and seasons where things will be easier . Or you'll have more bandwidth or more flexibility , or you'll have more energy . I mean those late nights . They're killing me . Holy smoke is the middle of the night , like Mom .

Speaker 1 7:06

I need you . Sleep deprivation is real . Do you really need me ? Like this is a POW camp ? I don't know . I don't know what's happening .

Speaker 2 7:14

Like , how big of a need is this ? Because I'm so tired .

Speaker 1 7:18

Kids just need like a tap on their crib , like two taps . I'm coming right away .

Speaker 2 7:28

One tap you on their crib , like two taps , I'm coming right away . One tap , you're gonna be okay for a minute . Yeah , yeah , yeah . We're like how can we ? How can we decipher that ? So it's one of those things that it's okay that our bandwidth and our energies fluctuate , because we're always in a constant state of flux , whether that's physically , mentally , emotionally , spiritually , socially . If we don't get a full eight hours of sleep , I can tell you , I'm not firing on all cylinders .

Speaker 1 7:43

It's going to impact , and then it ripple effect on all of the things .

Speaker 2 7:47

Yeah , and it's just important to give ourselves grace and understand that when we do have a really solid team of the right people in the right seats , it just continues to blossom .

Speaker 1 7:58

Yeah , well , and as you're talking I also thought about , women are so good to say yes , yes , I want to help , yes , I can do that , yes , I'll volunteer for this , but , conversely , we're not as good as saying no , no , I really can't handle that right now , no , I don't have the bandwidth for that , but catch me at another time . Right , because I don't know , maybe we feel like no is like never , or that's bad , or so think it takes both right to do .

Speaker 2 8:26

Speaking of wellness , you got to be able to do both yeah , well , and when we reframe what no is no , is you're saying yes to something else . When I say no , that's not gonna work for me which is much more empowering it's like I'm saying no because I'm saying yes to something so important to me that the no is really out of respect , because I would much rather have someone say no than to show up and be like , oh , they're like completely not engaged .

Speaker 2 8:55

And they're tired and exhausted and they're burnt out . It's like sweet pea . Just say no , go to the spa .

Speaker 1 9:01

It is okay , go get a pedicure , go take a nap . Please go take a nap . Like it's okay to say no , go to the spa it is okay , go get a pedicure , go take a nap .

Speaker 2 9:05

Please go take a nap , like it's okay to say no . In fact , when people tell me no , I trust them more . Because , then I know you it means something and I have that rapport and the trust to say no , that's not going to work for me right now . What does next week look like ?

Speaker 1 9:23

Great .

Speaker 2 9:25

Like I've going to work for me right now . What ? What does next week look like ? Great ?

Speaker 1 9:26

like I've had to reschedule three times this lunch with this gal , and one of it was because of the weather .

Speaker 2 9:29

the other was because she and her kids were up sick and not doing well . The next time it was me , you know , and so it's like you know , maybe it's fourth time's the charm , right , and that's okay , and giving that grace , yeah , and understanding if life is real and it's going to happen . And so , again , like saying no is saying yes to something else . Yes , I need to help my kids feel better and yes , I need to show up for them . No , I can't make that because of X , y and Z , and no , thank you is a complete sentence . You do not have to explain it .

Speaker 1 9:59

It's so interesting how many people feel like they have to go on and you're like it's okay . Yeah , I don't even care about the rest of that . Yeah .

Speaker 2 10:08

No , thanks , okay , yeah , godspeed , love that for you . Go do whatever you're going to do .

Speaker 1 10:14

You know , and I love the fact that you pointed out that people who tell me no and who are self-aware and know their boundaries . You're right , I trust them more to actually do what they'll say , because they know what they can do . Yes .

Speaker 2 10:27

Yeah , yes , that no is a crucible to trust for me , like when you tell me no , oh my gosh , I love you so much more because I know there are boundaries , I know you can be honest with me , because if you're not honest with me , we're going to just waffle and it's going to be a sad , sad day , interesting .

Speaker 1 10:49

Okay , so the summit has nine , right ? Eight ? Oh gosh , okay , eight . Tell us about the eight , and why

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Speaker 1 10:57

eight ? Why not just a couple ? Yeah , let's dig into that just a little bit .

Speaker 2 11:00

Listen , women do not have the time , energy or effort to go to all of these ad hoc conferences .

Speaker 1 11:06

for their wellness , I cannot even fathom no offense to those who add ad hoc conferences . Yeah .

Speaker 2 11:12

And that's great , because maybe people are focusing just on that for a season . Cool , great , perfect . But the summit is encompassing those eight dimensions of wellness , which include the physical , mental , emotional , spiritual , social , financial , occupational and environmental , and the reason why it's important to me to have those under one roof is because we already have these other conferences that are handling the physical or the mental and emotional and the spiritual and social .

Speaker 2 11:41

It's like let's bring it together , folks , because I don't have time to go to all these other things and I also want to be immersed into what you're doing .

Speaker 1 11:49

Yeah , that's important for you .

Speaker 2 11:50

It is . I need to see it , feel it , experience it , smell it . Whatever you're doing . Yeah , I need to get dirty with the wellness . Tell me how to do this , like , walk me through an experience so that I know if this feels good to me , does it work for my season of life ? And it's important to have this be consistent . And so we're doing it twice a year , once in the spring and fall , because , if you think about it , you just get through all of the holiday chaos and then you get through the spring breaks and you're like , oh my gosh , like what am I going to do ? Whoa breaks . And you're like , oh my gosh , like what am I gonna do ? Like whoa .

Speaker 2 12:27

And then you come to the summit , hang out with a bunch of ladies who are just stoked about life , who want to have the wellness , the rejuvenation , awareness okay , and then you kick off your summer vacations rejuvenated , set to jet , and then , you know , we kind of get back into the the groove of things with school getting back in session , you have fall break and then it's like , okay , we're gearing up for the holidays and how can I anchor in and how can I feel grounded in myself ?

Speaker 2 12:54

in whatever way you feel is appropriate , boom , come to the summit , come hang out , come play . I love it . That's what I need . I need , I need a good community , I need friends , I need fun . I also need to have the depth and breadth . And so that's why it's important to have those options , because maybe it's environmental and emotional that I'm focused on .

Speaker 1 13:15

Yeah .

Speaker 2 13:15

Or maybe I need more elements in my spirituality . What is that ? I don't know , I haven't tried some of these ?

Speaker 1 13:23

I don't know , but here's some options to try them .

Speaker 2 13:25

That's exactly right .

Speaker 1 13:26

I've got to try it , and that's one of the key things that makes this different is that you get to choose your own adventure , which is so great to just wander and really trust yourself , to pick the places where you need to go , because sometimes in conferences I've been guilty of oh I should go to that , I should go to that , I should go learn about this , I'd really like to go to this one over here . So I love the concept of you're just going to wander , maybe right now , because women's lives fluctuate . It's this , this and this , but in the fall it might be this , this and this . Yeah .

Speaker 2 13:58

Yeah , and that's so important , and when we should , we've got to stop shooting all over . I know , oh , I should do this or I should do that , and then we have all of the external noise of you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that , and you know what . You can shove those should somewhere else and listen to yourself and harness that and feel it and be like it's okay to explore , it's okay to be curious , it's okay to go try it , whatever that may be . And that's why the summit is here is so that women can try and they can be something different if they want . Or they can be still , or they can be calm , or they can be rejoicing in their season of life , whatever that looks like .

Speaker 1 14:39

Okay . So I'm going to ask you a question . So here you are , you've had your first kid . It's a whirlwind . Yeah , postpartum hit you right Like a ton of bricks and instead of like turning inward to be like how do I deal with all this , you are creating this mass conference to help all of us deal through it . Like what was that ? What was that turning point ? Like how did it go from I'm just surviving to wow , I'm going to get all these people together and do this .

Speaker 2 15:14

Cause I think that's a really interesting pivot point . Yeah , that is . It was a conversation that I had with my husband of I went from having a full blown career to quitting corporate , to starting my own consulting business ,

Breaking Beyond Single Identity

Speaker 2 15:25

to then becoming a full stay at home parent , and I realized that so often people will distill the human complexity to a singular identity . Oh , I'm just a mom . Yeah , are you kidding me ? Oh , my gosh , do you know what that means ? Just a mom Like , oh my goodness . Yeah , that is crazy . Like we came into this world far more than just one identity . You come in as a daughter , a sister , a friend , a cousin and you just keep growing and adding onto these different complexities that we have . And I wanted women to feel like they were more than just whatever that was .

Speaker 1 16:06

I love how you said that Sometimes we want to distill multiple complexities into a single identity . Yeah Well , let's just have that sit for a moment . That is powerful because often COVID sometimes was hard for working women because you're on a screen and I 100% have had my kids come in right . They're doing the bunny ears behind me , whatever it was , and , to be honest , in some situations that was totally fine and accepted and in some situations it was not , and so I had to , like , choose , do I show up today as professional Patty and my mom Patty , and I think that I'm my best when I just get to be Patty , all of Patty , right . So , and I think most people want that it's just sometimes hard , especially in corporate structures , right to have that flexibility . So I love that .

Speaker 2 16:59

You said that well and we're starting to see that big shift yes , we are . And how people show up in the corporate setting , because we have all of these different opportunities to really let people shine . And it's not because of a specific identity or a specific achievement .

Speaker 1 17:16

Yeah , it's who they are .

Speaker 2 17:18

Yes , see my word let's celebrate humans Like my word . My word , let's celebrate humans Like my word . We're so amazing and so complex that again , distilling that complexity to a singular identity , why do you think that is ?

Speaker 1 17:31

Why do you think it has been distilled ?

Speaker 2 17:33

It's totally not on my list , so yeah , it's great , I think , because it's easier for people to categorize with singular .

Speaker 2 17:43

Our brain is efficient and it's like mom daughter mom , daughter , worker and you , all of a sudden , are shifting through that . But I can guarantee you that if I was going into an office and I have my little boy at home , I'm gonna be thinking about him like , yeah , how's my little baby ? They're never really separate there , you . You don't hang that up , it is always with you . And so how do we create a culture and an environment where we can thrive as people , not just as a businesswoman or a mom or whatever it is the just again , oh , I'm just a mom , I'm just a career person , whatever that is . Celebrate your full 360 identity . It doesn't have to be parceled out like that .

Speaker 1 18:29

It's interesting because I went to a session on finding belonging in AI and they had us go in and we put seven stickers wherever we wanted , but they were all parts of us so that people could see the whole you instead of just however you presented at the moment . Right , however , I introduced myself and so , visually , I think that's the concept we're talking about here . Right Is , how do you show up ? How comfortable do you show up If you feel resistance ? Why is there resistance there ? You know , and from a talent perspective , one thing that we go into companies with the Elevator Challenge is retention , and one of the largest things for retaining people is seeing their value , getting them in the right spot where they can thrive . You know that's so important to retain and it seems like such a no brainer , but somehow that doesn't always align with corporate missions and goals and all those kinds of things .

Speaker 2 19:22

Which is fascinating to me because , as just a regular human , people want to be recognized for their contributions , whatever that may be . And when you look at all of the things , all of the months of , like athletic trainer month or medical professional , or like Alzheimer's month or autism or whatever it is , people want to be seen Timer's month or autism or whatever it is , people want to be seen Sure . And so , instead of seeing the label , why don't we ?

Speaker 2 19:50

see the person . And while people have these different identities , it's plural . So what ? What are you willing to see ? What are you willing to engage in ? And how do you celebrate the whole without being like except for that part ? You've got to celebrate the whole cake Like you got to celebrate the whole . Yeah , without being like , except for that part . You've got to celebrate the whole cake like you got to celebrate the whole cake . And you know what , if you put a little extra salt in there , that's okay . Yeah , we're gonna have some extra cream cheese frosting on top . You know , I'm saying like it's okay . Or maybe you don't want extra cream cheese frosting , you like it a little salty , but you got to know that yes , or this project , we project .

Speaker 1 20:25

We really need this , this and this . Whose strengths are those ?

Speaker 2 20:29

Yes .

Speaker 1 20:29

And we also need this person over here to shake them up and keep out of groupthink , because they're a disruptor and these three are all going to think alike . It's interesting , as we have talked to people about this and we go into companies and even here on the podcast , if we go back through , but most go back through . But most people who create really dynamic teams which we know research driven right that dynamic teams come from different thinking yes , so do a personality test , do the color code , do the predictive index , do Gallup strength , whatever it is , so you can know your people and then you can put them in situations where they can shine or where their talents are exactly what is needed for that project , Because I don't think we should like corner anyone because they're oh , they're this , you know they can only do this , but let's really let their . That takes a lot more work . That takes a lot more work for leaders , but I think it pays off in dividends .

Speaker 2 21:22

Totally Well and it's great to have that framework without pigeonholing people into oh , you're an ENFJ or whatever it is . Right and it's like , ok , well , we need someone who's you know the opposite . But how do we harmonize those ?

Speaker 1 21:34

What does that ?

Speaker 2 21:35

look like Leadership really comes down to . How are you going to orchestrate and be the conductor of your yes , of your company , yes , what does that look like Like ? Is someone killing it on the drums ? And we got to . You know , amp up the cellos over here . We got to harmonize that . And what does that look like ? And feel like ? It's going to be different for everybody , regardless of your personality , traits , backgrounds , skills . You got to figure figure out how to really harmonize those and recognize that people do change and we have to absolutely give them that opportunity to change absolutely okay .

Speaker 1 22:13

So I have a point and then I want to lead into another question .

Speaker 1 22:17

Much of the work we do and I tell this , I tell this a lot , but I will stand by it because I love it one of my very first cohorts that I went to when I was hired at the Women's Leadership Institute , it was a graduation and we rolled out the red carpet because we wanted them to be recognized Right , and some women owned it and strutted and we cheered and some women , like , walked on the edge of it . They didn't want to walk fully on it and some women bypassed it altogether . Now I don't know everyone's reasons or why they did what , but it has played out in the hundreds and hundreds of women that I've talked to that sometimes women have a hard time claiming it . Sometimes women have a really hard time understanding that awareness , part of even what

Mind-Body Connection for Women

Speaker 1 23:03

their talents are right . So I love this concept that you put it all under one one umbrella of a summit and they just get to explore and wander , because there's a lot of leadership power in that Right .

Speaker 2 23:15

Personal leadership is a big deal . Yeah , and understanding that not everybody wants to be celebrated the same way Exactly . Some people love the words of affirmation yes , I , it's not yours , could care less .

Speaker 1 23:27

Is that so terrible ?

Speaker 2 23:28

No , I'm like I appreciate what you're trying to do and I appreciate that that's something that you wanted to share , and so I take that and I love it and I honor it . Yes , do I need it ? Absolutely not . Like the way that people can really resonate and show me that they love me or appreciate me is acts of service , like when you take the time to see me and my circumstances and what's going on , it is fire . I'm like , oh my gosh , they love me so much and it's a world of difference , whereas I have other friends where words of affirmation , they couldn't get enough of it . I thought , well , why don't have you thought about giving yourself words of affirmation of how wonderful you are and how ?

Speaker 2 24:08

talented , you are your work ethic , who you're becoming , how you're growing ? Have you thought about doing intrinsic motivation ? Because if you're looking for that chronic external motivation or validation that is a very deep abyss that will never be filled .

Speaker 1 24:28

No , no . I heard a lady one time and she said I have five friends on my list when I really need something and they know exactly what I need . This friend , I call her to do this . This friend does this , this friend does this . And I was blown away because that was brilliant , right , because sometimes people are like how can I help ? And you're like I don't know , like just add that to my list , like how can you help ? Right , but she , she had it down , she knew herself well , she knew what the people could do and bada bing well and creating that trust that you could actually ask yeah , that's a big , a really personal thing .

Speaker 1 25:06

Oh , that is a whole new level , but it was like you know , I love like . I don't remember the specifics , but it was like I love this meal from such and such Right , or maybe someone is a dirty soda or whatever , but I just think that's a powerful tool women to keep in their back pocket to remember that it's okay to ask for help , it's OK to be specific to who your personality is Right , and there's more power in that .

Speaker 2 25:27

Totally Well . I even called one of my best friends the other day . I was at Home Depot , ok , and I was going to be working on this project , and I got stage fright . I was like I have no idea what I'm doing . I'm literally making this up as I go . Summit , not for this . It was yesterday , ok , yeah . I was like , oh , I want to figure out how to do this DIY project . Did I do any research ? Of course not . So then I call my best friend and I said Paige , I need help . And she's like speak to me . What's going on ? You're like I'm paralyzed at Home Depot . I'm like do you see this ? And she's like , yeah , what are you doing ? And I was like , oh well , this is the project that I'm working on . And she's like , oh well , if you go with the left one , you can do this , this , if you go with the right one , you can do this .

Speaker 2 26:07

Yes , that's awesome , and she walked me through it without making me feel like I was incompetent Yep , because it was my first rodeo . She's a very , very talented interior designer . She's great at what she does . I don't know what I'm doing and I love that , and we're going to chitter , chat and ultimately I have to return the thanks , but that's fine , because I had the confidence and the trust to be able to ask for that help . So who are those go-to people for ?

Speaker 1 26:33

you and what does that look like , and feel like , yeah , and bring them to the summit . Yeah , yeah , please . Okay , I think we've talked about this , but let's talk about it . Flexibility We've talked a lot about how women's lives are different . So , as we go into companies and work with them and they're instituting policies around maternal leave and different things , from your experience , what policies would be really nice , from what you've heard , if you were to go back into corporate right ? Now with your perspective , what might be really appreciated .

Speaker 2 27:08

Mandatory parental leave Because I want you to imagine that your male colleague has a chronic nosebleed for six weeks , okay , and they're in meetings and they've got tissue stuck up their nose and you're trying to have a serious conversation with them . You cannot do that because this person has tissue stuck up their nose , because they're bleeding , yeah , and but that lasts for six to eight weeks . How are you supposed to have honest conversations with that person when it's like listen , whatever's going on over there is wildly distracting and I think you need some time to heal .

Speaker 2 27:45

So , having that mandatory parental leave where both partners can be present , for this extremely life-changing experience is critical , and I mean so many women jump back into work because they have to , because their maternity leave is not paid and it's not helping their finances at all or they have maternity leave .

Speaker 1 28:11

But they know if they go that maybe they won't get the promotion or there'll be some kind of retribution yeah , and listen .

Speaker 2 28:18

We're sitting here and there is no question in my mind as to why our birth rates are dropping .

Speaker 1 28:24

There's no across the country

Upcoming Wellness Summit Details

Speaker 1 28:27

and now Utah too .

Speaker 2 28:28

Yeah , there's no paid maternity leave . You're telling me that I'm going to get penalized for becoming a mother and raising the next generation . Yeah , and all of a sudden you're shocked that our birth rates are dropping . Yeah , like , body autonomy is a huge one . Uh , the fact that there aren't policies to protect women in the workplace , not only in their career but , yeah , physically yeah , we gotta , we gotta circle the wagons there .

Speaker 1 28:59

that needs to be buttoned up quickly yeah , yeah , but sometimes the people who can button it up , like we have a political development series and we teach people how to run for office , and every time we institute it in the fall , I have teachers reach out to me and say I absolutely have things to say about the legislature and school policies and my pay and curriculum and all those things , but I work during the day . Don't you have something at night ? Can we come up and do that Right ? Or I'm running the daycare out of my home . So many of them are already involved in things that are not flexible that their voices aren't always heard .

Speaker 2 29:40

That is so dynamic , because how do we bridge that gap ? We have these people who want to have their voices heard , that's right , and yet there's not flexibility to have that opportunity .

Speaker 1 29:52

So sometimes circling the waggage is an act of privilege .

Speaker 2 29:57

Shoot . Because , who has ?

Speaker 1 29:59

time to circle the wagons right , people who maybe have flexible schedules , who don't have to work , who and not that that's bad , we need all of it . But it is very dynamic and it is going to take like a movement , all of us lifting together .

Speaker 2 30:16

Oh , a hundred percent , it's many hands make light work Always .

Speaker 1 30:23

Unless it's cookies with kids . Okay , let's be real All right , I mean . I'm probably worse than the kids and I'm like nom , nom , nom , nom nom .

Speaker 2 30:31

Probably have salmonella right now .

Speaker 1 30:33

Oh gosh , Okay , but I can cook you know , with no eggs in it , I'll gift it to you .

Speaker 2 30:39

Oh , that's nice , That'll probably help . I guess that's nice , that'll probably help .

Speaker 1 30:43

I guess that's funny , okay , interesting . So let's talk about mind-body connection , Because while corporations are moving more towards like flexibility and leave and those kind of things , mind-body connection still has a lot to explore , especially in this space for women , not just in corporations but organizations , all kinds of different things . To you , what is the mind-body connection and why does it matter to have all of those folks in this summit ?

Speaker 2 31:15

Sometimes I feel like I'm having an outer body experience , like when I was delivering my little boy . It was one of those things of like , oh my gosh , my body just went through this and you get the tremors and you get all these things and all of a sudden you have to recalibrate . And what does that look like and feel like ? And it's going to be different .

Speaker 2 31:35

Hormones are flying left , right and center and it doesn't matter if you just had a baby or if you're in your late 30s , early 40s , hitting that perimenopause another thing someone should talk about . Yes , another thing . We had no idea that that was the thing . And then we get into menopause , pretty much once you hit that puberty age , welcome to the roller coaster of hormones . Yeah , and you're not alone . That's's a beautiful thing . And having that ability to connect with where our bodies are at , we'll be able to lift and love others in a totally different way , because we're calibrated , where our mind and our body feel aligned . And what does that look like and feel like ? I mean the mental and emotional stressors that we have . People don't see that . You can't measure that , yeah , but your body certainly keeps the score of what that is and what that feels like .

Speaker 2 32:30

You get sick , you have , you know , mental breakdowns , you have stressors that are escalating your temperament . What ? What can we do to recalibrate the mind body connection ? You have to take time . You have to take time to invest in yourself , explore new resources and be with women who want you to succeed , who want the best for you . That is a huge game changer .

Speaker 1 32:54

Those three things .

Speaker 2 32:55

And when you're willing to dedicate a little bit of time , it's going to put you on a totally different trajectory , even if it's a one-degree shift , if you were on an airplane counts every effort counts , especially like if you're on an airplane and you're off by one degree and you never recalibrate . You're going to land in a totally different state .

Speaker 1 33:16

You're like Ohio . How did I get to Ohio ? Like what I thought we were going to , the Florida Keys .

Speaker 2 33:22

Yeah , what happened here ? I thought we were going to the Florida Keys , you know , like what happened here , and so that's a critical point of what are your stopping points and check-ins with yourself to be like where am I at ? How do I need to recalibrate ? What does that look like and feel like to me ? It's going to be different for everybody .

Speaker 1 33:37

Yeah , and I was just thinking humor would help too . Like if I came in and my coworker or my boss , their doors are shut with like a not today hard day , not today , right , would I ? I would totally respect that and I would appreciate knowing that . Or , like you know , come on in , things are great or cause . Then it takes out of the unspoken to the spoken .

Speaker 2 34:01

Yeah , well , and if you think about it , all relationships , whether professional or personal , are created , maintained or destroyed by communication .

Speaker 1 34:12

If we are Brace into the choir .

Speaker 2 34:14

I am willing to do that . Yes , literally , you are doing one of those three things Either you're creating and maintaining and nurturing , or it's going south .

Speaker 1 34:24

Yeah .

Speaker 2 34:25

Real fast .

Speaker 1 34:25

Yeah , energy into the system , right , I feel like that's a principle of physics In a closed system , if you don't put energy into it , it goes to entropy . So you always need to be putting energy into the things you care about . Yeah , which one of these eight connections is the hardest for you at the moment ? And for women who have like a hard spot in one of them , like what's the first step to get out of that Curiosity , I would assume ? What are some practical tips you could give ?

Speaker 2 34:53

The one that I probably struggle with the most currently is social , actually , because you have to juggle so many different schedules and nap times and you're all of a sudden figuring out how to do that with an involving human and it's like , oh well , nap time was originally this time and now it's switched today , and so there goes lunch plans and all of those things . So social is for sure one of those tricky ones for me right now , but continuing to put in that effort is important .

Speaker 2 35:24

It is okay to say , hey , I have to reschedule .

Speaker 1 35:27

things went sideways today and most people will laugh and be like I understand , yes , and the people who don't like they might not be your people and that's okay , they don't have to understand , yeah they don't have to understand .

Speaker 2 35:42

It is important to be respectful of it , though yes , just because you don't understand .

Speaker 2 35:45

It doesn't mean it's not important and it's not impacting another person . And one thing that has been helpful for me is to just try something new , and so I got a pass to the rec center and I'm like , okay , there's other people here . Oh , my gosh , gosh , there's adults . Most of us , including myself , have our earbuds in and we're just beep-bop-boopin' , but it has helped me just to physically be around other people and there's flexible , you can go early , you can go late , you can go whenever .

Speaker 1 36:14

There's classes , there's other people around , there's acknowledgement that you're a human and you exist , at least where I'm located people are very kind and like hey , hey , hey , yeah , I'm like I don't know who you are , but I love that you're so friendly , you're saying hi , but I love that for us yes , so that is something that has been helpful for me of creating that social connection even if it's not something deep and meaningful .

Speaker 2 36:39

Yeah , I have those deep and meaningful relationships that I can call on and , while it's not immediate in the timing , it can be one of those things of hey , I really need to talk to you and we it's like I just need 12 minutes , cause that's one of our code words of I just need 12 minutes .

Speaker 1 37:11

It's like , great , I can do that . I can do that , like I will call you at 830 and we talk . And it's one of those gifts that to your friends and to like schedule a lunch date because it's always your scheduling . But that's the way with everything , right , adaptability , flexibility , that's a super leadership skill , right , being able to manage all that in a way that fits your time and your current need .

Speaker 2 37:39

yeah , and before that wouldn't have worked . Where I needed that flexibility , where they do have on-site daycare , that can you know , hang out with my little boy for an hour , and then I'm like , oh my gosh , I can do anything . Yeah , I got my endorphins going . People saw me , I saw them ready to go , we're good to go , and it just it changes every season . It just it changes every season .

Speaker 1 38:03

I mean , there's people who are empty nesters , who have different social elements that they now need Yep , that they didn't need maybe 10 years ago and that's okay Totally , because so many women are like oh , I was like this in my 20s and I'm like yeah , but you're not 20 anymore . And it's okay , or you're not 30 anymore , or whatever it is you know yeah . It's okay . Adapting is a good thing .

Speaker 2 38:23

It's a beautiful thing that is a beautiful thing , yeah , and honoring that season . Oh my goodness , I used to be able to stay up until 11 and I'm like , oh my gosh , it's nine o'clock , we are wild I like my partner mike we're old who does this ?

Speaker 1 38:39

this is not how we used to do things .

Speaker 2 38:41

Yes yeah , totally it , totally . It's crazy how that just evolves and you don't realize it until you're in it .

Speaker 1 38:48

Yep , just roll with it , unless there's something that really and then like get curious , and how can you incorporate that ? Or whatever it might be , 100% it's important . Okay , so let's dig into the upcoming wellness summit . When is it , where is it , and give us like a highlight of what they might expect .

Speaker 2 39:03

Right , so our next summit is April 26th at UVU in Orem , utah . Ok , we've got . April 26th is a Saturday , saturday , ok . Yeah , we did that intentionally so that you know people's partners or significant others could help out with child care if needed . And then we have Ralphie Jacobs coming . She is all about scientific parenting and parenting on purpose which . I am so great , so excited about . Yeah , I'm super excited . I'm like I'm a rookie , I don't know what I'm doing .

Speaker 2 39:32

So I can use all the tips and tricks that are , you know , tried and true , right . Then we have 25 breakout sessions for women . Wow , okay , five every hour . So it's you have options , but not decision paralysis , right , you're like okay .

Speaker 1 39:46

You're like . I want to go to all of them .

Speaker 2 39:48

Yeah , exactly , I can hit these five throughout the day and you can learn and grow and experience and immerse yourself into something totally different . And then we're going to wrap it up with door prizes , giveaways , and we're just going to keep rocking and rolling . It's going to be such a good time , so just come hang out .

Speaker 1 40:07

I love it , I love the energy and WI is going to be there . So come visit us , come visit our booth . I'm so excited to support the whole growth of women . That's really important to this pipeline that we're trying to build . So thank you for that . As we wrap up , it's been delightful . As we wrap up , is there anything else you'd like to tell our audience ? Anything else we haven't talked about that you're like I really wish they knew , or I really wish someone would have told me , or anything like that .

Speaker 2 40:38

I would say the one thing that women need to do is show up for themselves . Oftentimes , we show up for everybody else and put ourselves last , which , at the end of the day , can sometimes be great , can be awesome , yeah , and there are moments where we need to come together and rally together as women , and this is what the summit is for . And so I'm asking you to show up for yourself and to show up for women who are going to be there , because they're going to need you , they're going to need your energy , they're going to need your thoughts , they're going to need your kindness and your compassion and your encouragement , and we need each other , and I hope to see everyone there .

Speaker 1 41:16

I love that I totally believe about events , that magic happens if you just show up and see . Right , just show up and connect . So thank you so much . It's a pleasure . Thank you for taking time , so excited to support and see where this goes .

Speaker 2 41:33

Totally so excited . Thank you , patti , you bet .