I had the opportunity to attend the Sharp Women’s Health Conference in San Diego on March 14th and spend an amazing weekend with my very best friends from College. Sharp has been hosting this conference for the past 24 years to educate, inspire, and empower women to lead & enjoy healthier, happier, and more balanced lives.

The theme this year was, “I Am Beautiful”, which represents all that you are and all that you can be – strong, brave, kind, loving, smart, fearless, unique, confident and so much more! It was asked of us to fill in the blank? “I am______.” As women, many of us can say, “I am a daughter, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend.” So instead of those, we had to use an adjective to describe ourselves, my adjective was “determined”.  Every woman is beautiful because that comes from the inside, from the heart, and from those people or things that “fill us up”, that’s true beauty. So the morning began with breakfast and an energizing “dance it out” with Billy Blanks, Jr. There were 1000 women not caring if they could dance or what they looked like, just being themselves, being beautiful! After this fun and energizing breakfast all the attendees got to choose lectures they wanted to attend, speak to medical professionals or view the many exhibitors. The lectures encompassed women’s health, child care/advise, elderly care, organization, exercise, self-defense, and much more. You also got an opportunity to receive comprehensive health screenings including blood pressure, BMI screening, bone density, cholesterol or speak with a dietitian, pharmacist, physical therapist, just to name a few. Lastly, there were at least 100 exhibitors from non-profits to facials/massages to Sharp healthcare departments.

There even was an exhibitor from Irvine called International Sanctuary, which empowers women & girls who survived human trafficking by providing meaningful employment through International Sanctuary enterprise, Purpose Jewelry. This jewelry is made by the survivors at the iSanctuary’s center in Mumbai, India. There are also survivors here in Orange County who actually prepare, package and ship the jewelry. To obtain more information, visit www.isanctuary.org.

The day concluded with a guest speaker named Glennon Doyle Melton, author of the New York Times best-seller “Carry on Warrior. The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life”. She is also an award-winning blogger, Monastery.com, and philanthropist. She doesn't preach to you, she talks about real-life topics, and not being a perfect wife, mom, sister, friend, boss, etc. She reminds you that it’s OK not to be perfect and that is how you learn and grow. That beauty comes from the inside, it’s looking into your parents, child, husbands, friends eyes, it’s going to “your happy place”, its being “filled up” with happiness – that’s beauty….