One Week Until The United State Of Women Summit

In just seven days, thousands of women from across the country will gather at the Walter E. Washington Convention center for the first-ever United State of Women Summit. And believe me when I tell you, it is about to be LIT. 

Women leaders from the worlds of technology, government, politics, science and business will convene not only share their special powers with one another, but to uplift and make very plain that we are the force that continues to push America forward. The day will include various break-out sessions covering six topics: economic empowerment, health and wellness, educational opportunity, entrepreneurship and innovation, violence against women and leadership + civic engagement.

Guest appearances will be made by President Obama and The First Lady (faints), Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden (wall slides), Valerie Jarrett (tears up) and so many more bosses that I'll probably just be in a daze by the end of the day.

Yesterday, the White House dropped this powerful two-minute film which featured the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Laverne Cox, Tina Fey, Jessica Matthews and so many more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFyd0H0tpes

Each of them share their experience about what it means to be a powerful woman and why we must unite so that our voices are heard in across sectors and industries.

Not only did this short film bring a tear to my eye, but it got me all the more excited to share the room with so many amazing women who are change-makers, go-getters and risk takers.

Are you attending next week's summit? If so, leave a comment below or send me a tweet! I want to take the largest photo in the life with some of my favorite women of all time. If not, be sure to follow @USWomen2016 for all updates. I will also provide a re-cap next week, so stay tuned for that as well!

Because together, we can change tomorrow. 

Millennial On A Mission: Saranah Holmes

Happy Monday, friends! This week's Millennial on a Mission is a young lady who is passionate about entrepreneurship and doing good. Her platform, Daily Do Good, encourages millennials to "spread kindness one person at a time, one day at a time." Based in Washington, D.C., Daily Do Good (which recently raised $10,000 - congrats!) is fostering an online community of do-gooders who want to incite change in The Nation's Capital though volunteering and philanthropy.

I'd like for you to meet Saranah Holmes.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Saranah feels fortunate to have been brought up in a city so rich in culture. "I studied health science at San Jose State University and loved my time there," she recalls. "The school had roughly 24,000 students, but I never felt like a little fish in a big pond." Saranah then continued on to get her Masters in Public Health from the George Washington University. "My graduate experience was memorable, but I chose not to continue with a career in public health. Instead, I followed a path towards development, being an executive assistant and most recently an entrepreneur."

CC: What inspired you to pursue your choice of career? Who are some individuals you admire in and out of your field of work? What challenges have you faced in building your business/brand, and what have you learned from them?

SH: An idea came to me one day while reading Daily Candy -- why not have a daily email dedicated to nonprofits, philanthropy and GOOD stuff that's written in a fun and clever way? That idea eventually turned into the Daily Do Good, a one stop shop for all things philanthropic in the D.C. Metro area. I'm also taking what I've learned in my 10+ years of fundraising and event planning to offer consulting services to nonprofit organizations.

The person I admire the most is no longer with us. My father passed away in 2013, but he reminds me daily to always strive to do my best and not let obstacles stand in my way. My father grew up very poor and he never let his circumstances define who he was. He taught me to find another door if one gets slammed in my face, and to always do what I can to help others. While I don't have a marketing background or a business degree, I am curious and not afraid to ask for help. The biggest challenge has been monetizing my business and building a subscriber base. I'm very grateful to have received advice from people who are pointing me in the right direction.

To Saranah, being a Millennial on a Mission means taking advantage of all there is to offer in this age of technology and using it to turn dreams into reality. "When I was growing up, no one was talking about being an entrepreneur -- we were encouraged to think about a career working for someone else," Saranah says. "Today, being an entrepreneur isn't something that is seen as a crazy departure from the norm." Her advice to her millennial peers? Learn as much as you can from different work places. "Make sure you have a back up source of income and don't let fear keep you from stepping out on a limb."

To learn more about the Daily Do Good, be sure to visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Twitter!

Millennial On A Mission: Kiersten Kindred

Happy Monday, folks! This week's "Millennial on a Mission" is an author, entrepreneur and branding specialist. Her new book, "Five Steps To Marketing Success: A Small Business Guide" provides tips and tools for small business owners who are looking to enhance their marketing strategies.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Kiersten Kindred.

Hailing from Houston, Texas, Kiersten graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, specializing in Broadcast Journalism. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sam Houston State University," Kiersten says. "It taught me a lot about my field and myself." Currently, she is the founder and CEO of her own media firm, Kindred Communications, which specializes in communications, marketing and branding for medium-sized businesses.

CC: What inspired you to pursue your choice of career? Who are some individuals you admire in and out of your field of work? What challenges have you faced in building your business, and what have you learned from them?

KK: I love everything branding and communications! When I graduated from college, I knew media and communications was going to be the arena for me. LaLa Anthony inspired me to choose my major and carve out my career path. I admire how to has been able to manage her career in entertainment and brand herself very well. When I first launched my Kindred Communications, I was trying to market my business and brand myself simultaneously, which was very difficult. But I had to combined the skills I learned in the classroom with my work experience in order to teach myself the trade. One of the biggest challenges that I have faced in building my business is having to say 'no' to people. I have now learned that to be a business owner, you must understand that you can't do everything. You have to learn what is important for your business and what will help you reach your end goal.

To Kiersten, being a "Millennial on a Mission" means to never give up and strive to achieve your dreams no matter what anyone says. "I strive everyday to build my brand, whether it is networking, seeking new opportunities or attending events- I am constantly branding.  Her advice to fellow young professionals? "It's a quote that is at the end of my book: 'Plan, prepare and grow. Repeat.'"

To learn more about Kiersten and her work, visit the Kindred Communications website and follow the firm on Twitter.

Millennial on a Mission: Tyece Wilkins

This week's Millennial on a Mission is a young woman that is truly passionate about storytelling, and sharing the lessons that life continues to teach her. A corporate communicator by day, she is the creator and editor-in-chief of the millennial blog Twenties Unscripted. Meet Tyece Wilkins.

Originally from the Baltimore, Maryland area, Tyece attended the University of Maryland and studied communications. She started off as a journalism major, and later took some advice from her dad to expand her options and switch to communications instead. "I currently wear two hats," she says. "I work in corporate communications by day and cultivate my blog and brand Twenties Unscripted during my off hours." Tyece likes to think of Twenties Unscripted as her career of choice, even though it is still an infant and she's still building it brick by brick.

CC: What inspired you to pursue your choice of career? Who are some individuals you admire in and out of your field of work? What challenges have you faced in building your business/brand, and what have you learned from them?

TW: Demetria Lucas D'Oyley,  Michael Jones, GG Renee Hill of All The Many Layers, and Erica Nichole are just a few of the writers that in one way or another inspire, uplift and continuously remind me to pursue my passion with energy and bravado. Building Twenties Unscripted has, and continues to be, filled with challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge is developing a sense and spirit of patience and trusting that all things happen in due time. I keep learning this and seeing this. Sometimes the things I think are missed opportunities are simply delayed opportunities. Building a brand requires you to really tune out the noise, something that is incredibly difficult to do in our social media packed lives. But, I am learning how to better center myself and focus on the different legs of my own journey.

To Tyece, a Millennial on a Mission is someone who climbs the steps of his or hers journey with passion, fire, courage, perspective and grace. "I am very into using the word "journey" now instead of words like goals or objectives," she says. "Words like "goals" or "objectives" feel very finite to me. This wildly beautiful combination of setbacks, failures, successes and mentors felt much more connected."

Tyece doesn't just strive to live and achieve her dreams daily–she DOES live and achieve her dreams daily. "Every day I wake up excited to build Twenties Unscripted, no matter what that means for that day," she says. "Some days, it may just mean writing a blog post, and others it means responding to pitches or preparing for an upcoming event. No matter what it is, every day I get to add one more brick to the empire I'm building, and nothing enlivens me more than that."

If there's a piece of advice she would offer her peers, it would be to not ever see the pursuit of a dream as a risk; see it as a necessity. "Feeding your passion and making your way through this world convicted about and confident in your purpose is necessary for your health, happiness and evolution. " 

To follow more of Tyece's adventures, be sure to visit TwentiesUnscripted.com and following her on Twitter and Instgram. 

Guest Post - Our Crown Has Been Bought: Why #WomensHistoryMonth Matters

To conclude the #WomensHistoryMonth guest post series is blogger Anuli Akanegbu. Visit her blog "Also Known As Anuli" for her musings on pop culture, technology and life as a 20-something living in Chicago.

When I was a little girl I had more dream jobs than Barbie. I wanted to be a firefighter, a hairdresser and an international superstar all at the same time. I never once questioned whether I could do it all or have it all because I was taught to believe that if I tried my best and lived with passion then I could achieve whatever I set my mind towards.

I will admit that I currently envy that little girl and her ambition. Over the years, I’ve questioned myself and have given in on multiple occasions to Impostor Syndrome.

“Our crown has already been bought and paid for. All we have to do is wear it.'' This quote is often attributed to Maya Angelou, but it was actually first said by James Baldwin in regards to the double discrimination he faced from being both black and gay.

Similarly to Baldwin the crown I wear is a double-tiered one because I am black and I am woman.

That being said, I often wonder whether the points of my crown could one day shatter the glass ceiling, so I could really have it all. To be honest, I’m still not 100% sure how I would even define this mythical “all.” Despite being encouraged to whole-heartedly believe in myself there are times when part of me expects someone to come up, remove my crown and tell me that playtime is over.

These are the times when I feel like I’m lost in the middle of a forest unsure of the “right” path to go towards. But, as a college professor once told me, “When you’re lost in the middle of a forest, the only way you can go is out.”

It’s easy to get caught up thinking about the “right” path to go on. Trying to calculate every move you make, so you can get to the “right” destination. All the while wondering if you started in the “right” place to begin with. It’s easy to get caught up in the weeds because the weeds are all you see.

It’s times like these that illustrate the necessity of Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month provides our society with a moment in time to look at women who have made it out of the forest with their crowns intact. Women’s History Month brings us as women together in unity, so that we may all be inspired by the women in front of us, behind us and beside us to rise together, so that our crowns may collectively create little dents that with time will shatter the glass ceiling.

Women’s History Month is more than just a book display at the local public library. It’s a time to honor women who dared to believe that their best was good enough and to encourage ambitious little girls to develop into ambitious grown women. At the very least, it is a time to remember that whenever you feel lost in the forest there are women who have been lost before too, but eventually they found their way. As will you.