BlogHer2016: it's all about the people
Back in 2011, when I started this blog, I had no idea what I was getting into. All I wanted was this little corner of the internet to share my writing with my two fans (thank you, sister and mom).
Five years later, I have gained a few more readers and have learned a lot about writing my truth. In 2014 and 2015, two of my essays were honored with BlogHer Voice of the Year recognition, and this year, I was thrilled to see a couple of my best friends (Elaine and Leigh Ann) enjoying their first VOTYs, and a new friend, Nicki Gilbert, I got to meet in person for the first time.
Even better than the VOTY, and the experience, and the fantastically fun annual BlogHer conference is the friends I have made online. Some of them I get to see only once a year and we gorge ourselves on girlfriend time, cheering when we see each other and spending hours talking over guacamole (I blame Arnebya and Jennifer for the guacamole overdose). These are women I love with all my heart, and having the opportunity to hug them brings joy that I carry when we're not all together. We shared rooms and photos and late-night dancing, and we listened and laughed.
The BlogHer conference was in Los Angeles, at the L.A. Live area this year. The expo hall is always a great way to kick off the event, and I was especially happy to see that Baskin-Robbins was back with a freezer full of ice cream and Polar Pizza. I lost count of how many times I visited their booth, and they were always gracious about it and didn't ice-cream shame me.
I told Baskin-Robbins more than once that while I love the taste of their ice cream, what I really like is the fact that they post all of the common allergens right on the freezer glass so I can easily see what I (nut allergic) and my son (egg allergic) can and cannot eat. It's such a great service they provide for the food allergy community, and it's much appreciated. I heart you and your myriad of flavors, Baskin-Robbins.
I ran into Luvvie Ajayi at the expo and got a copy of her new book I'm Judging You. If you don't know Luvvie, please allow me to tell you more: she is a rising star. In fact, she interviewed Oprah recently. OPRAH. Luvvie is an excellent speaker and is hilarious online and in person. I'm pretty proud to be in a photo with her.
You know I'm a car fanatic, so I didn't hesitate to accept an invitation to meet up with the people at Kelley Blue Book and AutoTrader with advice on car buying for women. It made me wonder if I shouldn't open up a dealership owned by women and staffed only by women, for women. Hmm.
Staples pulled out all the stops for their special breakfast event and brought in one of my very favorite athletes, Gabrielle Reece. She is a mother of three now, and her messages to her girls are strong and powerful. I told her I had seen her last video about teaching her girls body confidence, and she was very kind. I'm not above being starstruck!
Staples also gifted all of us at the event with some sweet school supplies like this fun burrito-shaped technology keeper. It makes me laugh every time I look at it.
Mayim was brilliant and matter-of-fact, and it was a treat to see this woman who starred in one of my favorite tear-fests ever: Beaches.
Overall, the keynotes were outstanding. I skipped one in particular because she is not really my cup of tea, but I didn't mind. There were plenty of other things to do. Like walk down the street to Sprinkles and get Triple Cinnamon cupcakes. Or Red Velvet. Or...
The best breakout session I attended was called "What it Means to be an Ally in 2016". Jasmin Singer hosted the panel discussion, which featured Jasmine Banks, Dior Vargas, and bob McNeil. But it was too important for me to just give it a footnote - stay tuned for a longer post about what I learned from them. I'm listening, my friends.
Thank you, Melisa and Elisa and all of the BlogHer staff who worked so hard to make this a great experience for us. You rock. Thank you, sponsors. Thank you, JW Marriott for an excellent stay with my beautiful and funny and wonderful roommates: Leigh Ann Torres (hashtag NO), Arnebya Herndon, and Angela Amman.
Love,
Kristin
Five years later, I have gained a few more readers and have learned a lot about writing my truth. In 2014 and 2015, two of my essays were honored with BlogHer Voice of the Year recognition, and this year, I was thrilled to see a couple of my best friends (Elaine and Leigh Ann) enjoying their first VOTYs, and a new friend, Nicki Gilbert, I got to meet in person for the first time.
Even better than the VOTY, and the experience, and the fantastically fun annual BlogHer conference is the friends I have made online. Some of them I get to see only once a year and we gorge ourselves on girlfriend time, cheering when we see each other and spending hours talking over guacamole (I blame Arnebya and Jennifer for the guacamole overdose). These are women I love with all my heart, and having the opportunity to hug them brings joy that I carry when we're not all together. We shared rooms and photos and late-night dancing, and we listened and laughed.
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| On the left: Leigh Ann, me, SueBob photo bombing!, Elaine, Ann, Jennifer, Angela, and Erin. Clockwise from top left square: Best Buy LG refrigerator, Jennifer dressing up as me, me and Elaine post-makeover, and Elaine, Jill, and me at Staples. |
The BlogHer conference was in Los Angeles, at the L.A. Live area this year. The expo hall is always a great way to kick off the event, and I was especially happy to see that Baskin-Robbins was back with a freezer full of ice cream and Polar Pizza. I lost count of how many times I visited their booth, and they were always gracious about it and didn't ice-cream shame me.
I told Baskin-Robbins more than once that while I love the taste of their ice cream, what I really like is the fact that they post all of the common allergens right on the freezer glass so I can easily see what I (nut allergic) and my son (egg allergic) can and cannot eat. It's such a great service they provide for the food allergy community, and it's much appreciated. I heart you and your myriad of flavors, Baskin-Robbins.
I ran into Luvvie Ajayi at the expo and got a copy of her new book I'm Judging You. If you don't know Luvvie, please allow me to tell you more: she is a rising star. In fact, she interviewed Oprah recently. OPRAH. Luvvie is an excellent speaker and is hilarious online and in person. I'm pretty proud to be in a photo with her.
You know I'm a car fanatic, so I didn't hesitate to accept an invitation to meet up with the people at Kelley Blue Book and AutoTrader with advice on car buying for women. It made me wonder if I shouldn't open up a dealership owned by women and staffed only by women, for women. Hmm.
Staples pulled out all the stops for their special breakfast event and brought in one of my very favorite athletes, Gabrielle Reece. She is a mother of three now, and her messages to her girls are strong and powerful. I told her I had seen her last video about teaching her girls body confidence, and she was very kind. I'm not above being starstruck!
I met Sabrina Soto of HGTV at the Velcro booth, which was beautifully appointed. I mean, who DOESN'T use Velcro? They're pretty much ubiquitous. And still, I fell in love with them all over again with their idiot-proof wall hanging and organizational ideas.
Even better than that, I got to hang out with Amber Dorsey of From Carpools to Cocktails. I just met Amber in Laguna Beach in May at another conference, and I was instantly smitten. She's gorgeous and smart and funny and warm and gives excellent hugs.
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| Amber, Sabrina, and me |
The educational sessions and keynotes give me motivation and inspiration, and the two women who were the most impactful to me were Lucy McBath of Mothers of the Movement and actor/PhD in neuroscience Mayim Bialik. Lucy was quietly wise, powerful, and moving, urging all of us to pay attention to racial disparity and violence. She lost her son when he was 17, just a few years ago, and she moved me to tears. This quote from The Atlantic sums it up:
"I still love my country. It's the only country we have. This is the best that I've got," she said. "And I still believe that there are people here who believe in justness and fairness. And I still believe there are people here who don’t make judgments about people based on the color of skin. I am a product of that. But I am disheartened that as far as we've come it doesn't matter that we have a black president. It doesn't matter how educated we’ve become. It doesn’t matter because there still is an issue of race in this country. No, we have not really arrived. If something like this can happen, we have not arrived. And I ask myself, 'At what point are we going to get there?' And I have no answer. And I want to be able to answer."
- Lucy McBath
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| Lucy McBath, Mothers of the Movement |
"Life is amazing. My purpose on earth is not to just look pretty in the red carpet."
- Mayim Bialik
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| Mayim Bialik |
The best breakout session I attended was called "What it Means to be an Ally in 2016". Jasmin Singer hosted the panel discussion, which featured Jasmine Banks, Dior Vargas, and bob McNeil. But it was too important for me to just give it a footnote - stay tuned for a longer post about what I learned from them. I'm listening, my friends.
Thank you, Melisa and Elisa and all of the BlogHer staff who worked so hard to make this a great experience for us. You rock. Thank you, sponsors. Thank you, JW Marriott for an excellent stay with my beautiful and funny and wonderful roommates: Leigh Ann Torres (hashtag NO), Arnebya Herndon, and Angela Amman.
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| My roommates at BlogHer 2016! |
Love,
Kristin