Say it With Me: I AM THE BOSS A Day at the I AM THE BOSS Conference
What does it mean to you to utter the words “I am the boss”?
Does it refer to status? To power? To responsibility?
To me, it means the freedom to play by my own rules, instead of following someone else’s.
Not everyone gets the chance to be the boss, but everyone can, if they want to.
I know that sounds like a whole lot of Indians and no Chiefs, and I probably would have agreed with you…that is until I attended Carolyn Dickinson’s I AM THE BOSS conference.
This one day event aims to inspire women to create their own path in life, to finally be able to utter the words “I am the boss.”
Over the course of the day attendees watched as Carolyn interviewed a panel of inspiring women who have found success in their own lives, women just like you and I whose passion and determination sent them from middle management, to the top. The panel participates in a Q&A session midway through the day, and the day is finished off with keynote speakers and trainers who share their vision, their journey, and their inspirations with the crowd.
So who were these inspiring women that we all stared in awe at as we held on to their every word? Well there was Odette Laurie…
As a business coach for entrepreneurs who want to build a multiple six or seven figure business and teacher of mindset marketing and money strategies, she knows what it’s like to fight for her dream.
“I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to struggle. I also know what it’s like to be successful. They need a leader,” she said.
She knew it was important for women to attend I AM THE BOSS because “as women we do it all by ourselves. We stay at home and we try to build a business behind our computer, but you’ve got to get out in the real world to see what real women are doing and learn.”
That’s why Odette, an already successful entrepreneur wanted to be a part of I AM THE BOSS, an event that tells women that “we’re blessed with the opportunity to have babies but that does not mean we have to stop our life, and that doesn’t mean we have to stop the train that gets us to making money …You can have both. It’s tough, but you can do it,” shared Odette.
Then there was Mary Engel…
A management coach who works with middle managers to help them improve the quality of their lives, they’re productivity, and get the careers that they dream of.
She saw this event as a great opportunity because “an event like this gives women an opportunity to be inspired, to get a lot of clarity. I’m finding that the speakers have so much experience in the areas that I’m currently experiencing challenge in that it’s almost like looking into a crystal ball, seeing what to expect, and being able to answer those questions before you even get there.”
Her real clarity comes when discussing the topic of being a working mom. “A lot of us grow up with the belief, the unfounded belief, that to have a career, and be a great mom, and be a great wife, is impossible. Or that somehow we have to trade off one for the other and so we start making decisions that will sabotage any particular one of those things. So I think it’s important to understand that you can have all three, that they can be really great, and not to worry that you’re sacrificing in one area because there are ways to actually figure out how to work all of those,” she shared.
And there was Wendy Crystal…
A future mom about to pop, still sitting on the panel, and working a booth as the owner and founder of her own cosmetics company.
Looking at her you know that she has drive, but what did she wanted the women to take away from that day? “Determination and believing in themselves and knowing that failure and feeling fear are not things to be feared. They are things to actually motivate you and push you forward to be successful.”
But the real inspiration that day was I AM THE BOSS’s founder Carolyn Dickinson….
Carolyn went from a stressed out new mom at a complete loss of how to get her career back, to an entrepreneur with her own website appropriately titled “Supermom Entrepreneur”, to the creator of her own women’s event, I AM THE BOSS.
Her work has inspired countless women and she tirelessly labors for her love of helping women succeed.
“I always feel like I’m recommending these people. I take pride in that,” she shared. Which is why she hand picks all of her speakers, and it shows. “I have only heard ‘we love it, we’ve gotten something from it.’ That to me is all I want ,” she said. “I’ve had five people personally come up to me and go ‘this is not a typical women’s event,’” she continued.
Besides the obvious benefit of having people love the event, she works so hard to find the right because she said, “We are creating an environment, that to me, is like having a big family over and we’re all kind of chatting and helping and supporting each other.”
In the end, the work of Carolyn, her team, and everyone involved in the I AM THE BOSS conference led to an event that was welcoming, inspiring, and a must-see for women everywhere. It’s certain that women took away so much from the day, but what did Carolyn really wanted them to take away? “Whatever they need.”
For more information visit: www.supermomentrepreneur.com
Taylor Brown
Taylor Brown is an Associate Editor at Goddess Connections for the Women Who Run It E-Mag. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Studies. She is a resident of Toronto and she has a passion for exploring topics on health and fitness, and enjoys writing stories about women’s issues. She also enjoys writing about business and how to build a career. When she is not working for Women Who Run It you can find her exploring Toronto, going for jogs, or simply enjoying life as a strong, empowered woman who runs it. Her goal is to share stories that help women of all walks of life take control of their lives and create balance with ease.