Divorce. Death of a loved one. Job loss. Bankruptcy. While these tragic life events can create turmoil and hardship for anyone, they can be especially devastating for women who are suddenly forced to face these challenges alone.
On Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 at the historic Charles Carroll House in downtown Annapolis, 10 strong, courageous women will share their firsthand experiences in overcoming their own life-changing crises at the first Chesapeake Women’s Conference.
The conference, appropriately titled “Navigating Change,” will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit: http://chesapeakewomensconference.com.
“As someone who is currently navigating massive change in my life, and who has struggled with how to best move forward, I decided that I needed to recruit the help of my girlfriends, share my truth and reality, and seek the support and inspiration of women who have successfully navigated the choppy waters of change before me,” said conference organizer Jamie Kizer.
“Through this process I’ve come to understand and appreciate that I am not alone,” Kizer added. “Now, as I am slowly coming out on the other side of the most difficult chapter of my life, I feel it is important to provide that same safe and sacred space for other women who are navigating change in their lives — boldly and confidently.”
Following registration at 8:30 a.m. and opening remarks at 9 a.m., the conference will feature three consecutive panel discussions with nine dynamic speakers.
Panel #1 (9:15-10:30 a.m.)
- Beth Hall, owner of Tag and Title Service of Maryland & Silver Star Service Center, who will share how she juggles two businesses, single parenting, and starting over after a difficult divorce;
- Tammy Studebaker, a real estate agent and published author, who will discuss how hope, tenacity, and sheer grit got her through some incredibly dark times after her entire family was hit hard by life-altering illnesses;
- Sharon Craig, CEO of Max Score Credit, who will share her experiences of suddenly losing her beloved husband in 2016 and choosing to carry out his dream by continuing with the business that he had started.
Panel #2 (11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)
- Megan Gordon-Hall, a registered nurse, acupuncturist, and freelance artist who will share her experience of surviving a multitude of rapid-fire life losses and trauma in an extraordinarily short amount of time;
- Jan Sterling, artist at JenSterling.comand chief partner at Red Thinking, who will discuss her journey of reinvention, resilience, single parenting, rebuilding trust, and empowerment through art;
- Carressa Christian, program director at Chrysalis House, who will share her journey from arriving at Chrysalis House as a heroin and cocaine addict to becoming its current program director.
Panel #3 (1:15-2:30 p.m.)
- Susan Hahn, Founder and President of Swan Consulting Group and the HobbleJog Foundation, who will discuss her road to recovery following a near-death experience that left her with multiple broken bones and traumatic brain injury;
- Elizabeth Liechty, senior partner at Charter Financial Group and founder of the Blue Elephant Canvas Project, who will share the motivation and inspiration behind her decision to write the acclaimed book and animated film “The Blue Elephant;”
- Sharon New Blugis, a local health advocate, community organizer, and thyroid cancer survivor who will share tools and tips about how to best manage stress and protect against adrenal fatigue when in a constant state of fight or flight.
The lunch break (12:15 to 1:15 p.m.) will feature conference keynote speaker Lindsey Ellison – a relationship coach, podcaster, businesswoman, and comic – who will share her journey from surviving a painful divorce rooted in the grips of narcissism, to becoming a recognized expert in starting over and finding happiness.
Ellison’s work has been featured in publications such as Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal and Dr. Laura. She has been a guest on several television, radio, and podcast shows, including her own, “Start Over, Find Happiness.”
At the end of the third panel discussion, conference attendees will spend the balance of the day “writing in our journals, setting our intentions for the future, and creating a vision board that will help remind and guide us toward a new and renewed tomorrow,” Kizer said.
Kizer said the conference registration fee includes all materials, lunch, workbook, journal, and an end-of-the-day champagne “empowerment toast.”
“This is going to be such a positive, uplifting conference,” she added. “It is a day that is meant to totally support women.”
