Women can impact tremendous change. This panel will explore a diversity of areas in which women can impact change including politics, education, media, business and community. We will offer first hand perspectives of women who are impacting change and illustrate why it is critical to get involved and how you can make a difference and influence the world around you.

Moderator: Moira Forbes, vice president and publisher, ForbesWoman and host, “Success with Moira Forbes”

Panelists:

Maria M. Ebrahimji, journalist, executive editorial producer, CNN and co-editor, I Speak for Myself

Carol Fulp, senior vice president of brand communications and corporate social responsibility at John Hancock Financial and representative, General Assembly, United Nations

Kyla Lapierre, senior vice president, State Street Corporation

Jane Swift, first woman to serve as Governor of Massachusetts, former State Senator and CEO, Middlebury Interactive Languages

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Selling your story – whether to investors, business partners, customers, employees or the media – is critical for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The first part of this two session workshop brings you face-to-face with renowned small business experts to teach you how to develop your best pitch. Using interactive exercises, attendees will learn how to:

• Create a concise message
• Capture and engage your audience
• Build and exude confidence in yourself and your concept
• Deliver with clarity to wow your listeners

Speaker: Lena West, CEO & founder, xynoMedia Technology and creator, The Technology Diet

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Regardless of age or circumstance, we all have the power to create a second act and reinvent ourselves – especially as we gain experience and learn from those experiences. This session will bring real stories of real women who created their second acts personally or professionally. Attendees will learn through their experiences how to overcome obstacles and find their passion to seize that new opportunity regardless of age or circumstance.

Moderator: Gina Otto, award-winning author, producer, social entrepreneur and children’s advocate

Panelists: Kimberly Kissam, co-founder, Isabel Harvey

Leigh Hurst, founder, Feel Your Boobies

Barbara Lynch, James Beard award-winning chef and CEO, Barbara Lynch Gruppo

Bobbie Weiner, film industry makeup artist, business entrepreneur and author

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Juliette Mayers, executive director, multicultural marketing at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, shared tips on how to best network at the Massachusetts Conference for Women with author, consultant and conference networking expert Mike Bruny of “The New Art of Conference Networking: #Hashtags to Handshakes.”

Listen to the interview:

Juliette, the author of “A Black Woman’s Guide to Networking, Advance Your Career, Grow Your Business!”, noted that while social media offers great ways to connect and network, it’s still very important to build your personal brand and make offline connections through face-to-face networking events like women’s conferences.

Her three tips to make the most of the Massachusetts Conference for Women:

1. Define what you want to accomplish and be strategic about your networking efforts, choosing sessions and resources that will further your objective.

2. Ask yourself what can you offer to others, what value can you bring?

3. Network with the people directly aligned with your long-term goals.

She also shared networking tips specific to black women. Listen now!

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Tory Johnson, CEO of Women For Hire and Spark & Hustle, and workplace contributor on Good Morning America, interviewed Michael Alter, president of SurePayroll, on Monday, November 7 in a free 20-minute teleclass.

From Harvard MBA to partner track in consulting to founder of SurePayroll, Michael knows firsthand what it takes to launch and grow a startup and also how to take an established business to greater heights. Tory and Michael addressed specific lessons for small business success.

• When to answer yes and why it’s often wise to say NO

• How to market in a way that matters to your target market

• When to stay the course and when to give up

• Why Michael’s company rewards mistakes—including a cash prize—and how you can embrace failure too

• And many more nuggets on to help you on your journey to small business success

Listen to the recorded call now:

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