On Thursday, March 27, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Bossier Chamber of Commerce is hosting Bloom Where You Are, a conference for women, at Live! Casino and Hotel.
Jana Morgan is the program director at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce, and she was the main developer of the event. She says this is the first women’s leadership conference the chamber has held.
At the conference, attendees will have the chance to be a part of “table talks,” according to Morgan. These talks will be about a wide variety of topics, and Lisa Johnson, the chamber’s CEO, says many of them are subjects to which women can bring a unique perspective.
"It’s always nice to bring a group of women, or like-minded people to share experiences," Johnson says. "And, so often whenever you do go through issues, sometimes you feel alone and like you’re the only one that this has ever happened to. But, whenever you get into a room of other folks that look like you, and in this case it’s going to be all women, there’s a comfort zone to open up and to say, 'I’ve been there. I understand.'"
For example, one of the talks will be about healthcare from a woman’s point of view. Johnson says that women experience mental or physical health issues throughout their entire life. A lot of the time, healthcare for women can be difficult to work through alone, and a conversation about it at a conference made for women can be a great opportunity for everyone.
"To be able to find others in the community, and not just your medical professionals, that you can just really have that conversation with, it’s important to build that network of ladies in one room," Johnson says.
Attendees can go to one table to learn about mentorship.
"How do you find your group of people? How do you find the connection to somebody that you trust and that you feel is a successful individual, and you want to mentor off of them?" Morgan says.
Then, they can visit another table and learn about “talking like a boss.”
"We want to be able to engage with those other women sitting around the table and give them examples of how to feel like you’re the boss or talk like you’re a boss," Morgan says. "Let people know you know what you’re talking about. Let people know that you have that confidence. Let people know that you have that empowerment."
Morgan emphasizes that the main focus of the conference is not leadership. She says she wants to bring women together in a positive, fun way.
Sarah McDaniel and Jinny Henson will speak at the event. McDaniel is a Northwest Louisiana native who founded Simply Southern Cottage. Henson is an author, stand-up comedian, and non-profit founder based out of Shreveport. Morgan points out that both of these women went through big tragedies that changed the course of their lives
"They’ve both excelled from their experiences, and it just kind of fits. ‘Bloom where you’ve been planted.’"
Johnson says McDaniel and Henson can provide guidance to attendees on how to grow and lead even through hard times.
"Whenever I think of ‘bloom where you are planted’ we don’t know where we are going to land at any time. Within our family, within our profession, within our personal life, or what have you, and we’re put there for a reason," Johnson says.
Morgan says she hopes women can take away at least one thing from the conference. She says the point of the conference is to build a community of women leaders through conversations of shared experience and support, while also drinking mocktails and enjoying the presence of other women.
"Because we are an office full of women, we have many businesses that are women owned, and we have ladies that sit on our board of directors, and it is Women’s History Month, so it’s a great time to do this," Johnson says. "So, it gives you that support that you’re looking for."
"It is going to be a fun, half-day event that you can start your morning with and end on a good note after lunch," Morgan says.
With Red River Radio News, I’m Alaina Atnip