Celebrating Life at the International Women’s Conference

On May 4 through the 7, the International Women’s Summit held their Celebrate Your Life conference at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Phoenix.

Marianne Williamson, author of “Women’s Worth,” kicked off the day followed by some amazing speakers including Erin Brockovich, consumer advocate, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” Sheri Salata, former president of the Oprah Winfrey Network, and Lisa Ling, host of CNN’s “This is Life.”

Lisa Ling shared a number of stories including experiences in the trenches from war-torn countries, discussing everything from children with automatic weapons to the growing problem of human trafficking. She also shared stories from her in-depth reporting on human sex trafficking.

A seasoned investigative journalist, Ling looks at things from a different prospective and suggested we all do the same. Most of the women who are arrested for prostitution were victims of human trafficking. She challenged us to look at people through a different lens before passing judgment.

I was honored to meet and interview Erin Brockovich for SmartFem TV which airs on the C-Suite Network. Brockovich is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met, and her passion and conviction for corporate responsibility is amazing.

She discussed the importance of corporate America admitting their mistakes and fixing the problems they create, and shared amazing stories from her time investigating the Pacific Gas & Electric Company in Hinkley, California, including seeing green water and two headed frogs.

The conference had 800 women from all over the country in attendance coming together for a few days of inspiration and hope. This was my first experience with the Celebrate Your Life conference, but it certainly won’t be my last.