Georgia College hosted its sixth annual Women’s Leadership Conference this past Friday, March 29. The theme of this year’s conference was to flourish forward, and it aimed to encourage and teach women about holistic wellness.
The conference first began in 2018 as a women’s luncheon, and over the years, it has expanded and evolved into a full-day conference.
When it first started, it was a half-day student leadership event where women learned how to navigate being a woman in the workplace. The first conference had only one keynote speaker and one breakout session, but the leadership conference has expanded and evolved to having three breakout sessions and seven keynote speakers this year.
Over time, the conference expanded to not only students but faculty and staff as well.
“Opening the conference up to all offices allows for some of that intergenerational networking, so students can network with professionals in their field,” said Ashley Copeland, the director of the Office of Community Engagement and Service.
The purpose of the conference is to empower and provide women with the necessary skill set to lead and live a life of leadership and wellness. At the conference, there are breakout sessions that cover an array of topics, keynote speakers, a networking session and wellness moments.
Melissa Gerrior is the program coordinator for the Women’s Center & LGBTQ+ Programs.
“It’s really a lot of fun to get to hear so many different thoughts, opinions, styles and models of leadership and to see and learn the myriad of different ways that women can lead,” Gerrior said.
At the conference, there are a multitude of different wellness activities and speakers who come to share their approach to leadership and wellness. One of the keynote speakers this year was Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson. Her talk centered around the feeling of being burned out and how to shift your mindset so that you can prevent and overcome it.
She shared her story of the time she got burned out whilst serving as the vice president of Student Affairs and how she coped with that. She incorporated wellness into her talk by asking the audience what some of their tells, mentally and physically, were that indicated to them that they were on the road to burnout.
Jackson left the audience with the message that it is important to learn to prioritize the important things in life rather than let yourself carry unnecessary baggage that is weighing you down.
“The whole day is just really inspirational, from the conversations you have with the women sitting next to you to the nuggets you claim from the sessions and speakers,” said Nadirah Mayweather, the director of Alumni Relations at GC. “It’s just one of those days that just fills my cup up.”
The wellness moments scattered throughout the conference are meant to be a way for the participants to relax and learn a new wellness habit that they can use in their day-to-day lives. The wellness moment following Jackson’s talk was led by Jennifer Graham, the associate dean of students for Student Inclusion and Belonging.
She walked the women in the room through two breathing techniques that helped slow down the heart and relieve stress.
“We really try to have a wide array of topics that are talked about, from financial literacy and wellness to feeling like you can be bold and ask for the things that you want,” Graham said.
This is the sixth year that the conference has been held and wraps up the month of March, which is Women’s History Month. As the years progress, the planning committee of the conference hopes to continue shaping women’s lives through wellness and leadership.
