SheKnows Media, a leading women’s online media company, hosted #BlogHer15: Experts Among Us. The event took place in New York on July 16-18 and it’s considered one of the nation’s largest gatherings of predominantly women content creators. #BlogHer is designed to inspire and empower women, and BELLA, did they deliver!
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As a media partner, BELLA had the pleasure of mingling with thousands of content creators, social media influencers, entrepreneurs, brand executives and industry luminaries at this year’s event, co-produced for the first time by SheKnows Media and BlogHer.
A group of BELLA Interns and I had an incredible time! Below are some highlights from our #BlogHer15 weekend in New York:
Events like these hold their power in that they also allow you to meet and connect with incredible people you may have been admiring from afar. I’ve followed Veronica Eye and Jenn Pozner online for a while and it was very exciting to actually speak to them #IRL.
Another highlight was when Gwyneth Paltrow took the stage. Paltrow is an actress, mother of two and founder of goop, a lifestyle site making quite a media impression indeed. Paltrow chatted with BlogHer cofounder Elisa Camahort Page about co-parenting techniques, the beauty of her first trip to Paris with her late father, and more.
SheKnows Media honored companies challenging gender stereotypes by building pro-woman messages and images into ads that target women—and by employing women to make them—in the inaugural #Femvertising Awards.
The Pitch was a session full of passion, purpose, and great advice judged by entrepreneurs Jesse Draper (CEO, Valley Girl, Inc.), Kathryn Finney (Managing Director, digitalundivided) , Ali Pincus (Founder, One Kings Lane), JJ Ramberg (MSNBC’s “Your Business” host), and Mimi Valdés (Chief Creative Officer, I am OTHER).
Christy Turlington Burns shared what inspired her to found Every Mother Counts, a non-profit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother and a sneak peek of the new three-part, short-format documentary, Giving Birth in America., produced by Every Mother Counts.
Hundreds of thousands of women across the country have different birthing experiences. Women aren’t given choices and unfortunately many of them are dying during childbirth. Model and advocate Christy Turlington Burns joined a #BlogHer15: Experts Among Us panel Saturday afternoon to share how her organization, Every Mother Counts, is hoping of changing that.
Some other fun highlights and testimonials from attendees, brands and honorees we connected with were:
“I came to BlogHer 4 years ago with Nickelodeon when I headed their Preschool and parenting business but this is my year here as an entrepreneur. BlogHer connect women with communities of women supporting other women and to expand their business. I encourage everyone here to connect with as many people as possible because opportunities come in serendipitous ways.” Tanya Van Court, iSow.com
“I love being here with other women and learning from them as I’ve never blogged before. As an UnderAwareness spokesperson, it’s personal as I used Depends before being approached by them to partner up and it’s important for me to let women know that there is an amazing product out there than can help them. I think women can change the world and this is a great place to be right now. Lead with God and love and everything else will fall into place.” Sheryl Underwood, Comidienne, Host of The Talk and UnderAwareness Partner
“I’ve had the opportunity to connect and really engage with the community as well as gather pointers and strategies to bring my blog to the next level. I hope that everyone leaves here committed to their blog and eventually they’ll find their rhythm.” Victoria Austin, SheKnows Experts Program
“Working with SheKnows I’ve learned they have an amazing network of women. I think sometimes as bloggers we get in our own little world and this conference is an opportunity to connect to others in a personal way. I encourage anyone who’d like to start their blog to go for it and be prepared for a lot of work. Keep true to your vision and enjoy the process.” Yasmina Jacobs, EatMakeCelebrate.com
“I’m at BlogHer because I’m passionate about women looking and feeling great. Partnering with Depends allows them to see a solution to a problem in a flattering way. If you need a different kind of underwear, I’m glad that there is a solution for it. It’s about confidence and what you put on first affects how you feel throughout the day. I was ready to jump on the bandwagon when this fabulous product came along. I am happy to be here because bloggers are so enlightened, they are the reporters of our time. My one piece of ‘styling’ advice for a woman who may find her self struggling would be to keep trying. You know some people say to me that they don’t have the style gene and honestly some people do have to study it. You know I don’t have the gene for math which is why I don’t do my own taxes. Study and learn, study people, take some chances and most importantly have fun with it. Getting dressed is supposed to be a joyous experience. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, celebrate your own person.” Carson Kressly, Celebrity Stylist and UnderAwareness Partner
BlogHer15 was certainly an extraordinary experience. There was so much beauty to admire from all the stories that were shared throughout the weekend. Stories of women making leaps and bounds for the sake of igniting social change. Women helping, supporting and stepping up and 0ut for each other. It was fabulous to be in the company of some of our 2015 BELLA Interns, armed with BELLA New York in hand, we helped spread our message that ‘Beauty is defined by you!’
