It might just border on impossible when it comes to summing up my trip to Atlanta. First, there was just the whirlwind of it all and traveling quickly to meet some really incredible women, both the writers I met and the female executives at Coca-Cola. There is also the very opinionated base of family and friends I have who all seemed to have a position on Coca-Cola as a company. Finally, and this is the thing that wins out above all else, is that I got to come away from the event with a lot of wise words from women I know.
At the post-conference dinner where I apparently became fuzzy. I think I’m telling a story and I use my hands a lot when communicating. Be warned.
I’m not in the business world and yet what my limited stuck-in-the-world-of-education brain could handle really boiled down to this: we all need to actively pursue taking care of one another.
A vintage Coke machine that I got a little artistic with when I edited my photos.
McDonald’s and Coke can have their feet held to the fire (and they do, daily!) to offer better products and make changes in what they offer and how they market, but I owed it to them to listen to them answer some hard-hitting questions by the other writers in the room. These aren’t perfect companies but they certainly do some things right. Women in leadership is one of them.
During our visit we spent time listening to Elisa Camahort Page talk about blogging’s impact on our writing and in the world, touring The World of Coke (please do taste the Inka Kola and stay far, far away from the Beverly drink they serve in Europe) and participating in a panel discussion from some of the women leaders at Coke in Atlanta. More than anything I was impressed by the smart, well-spoken panel of women that offered insights into their lives as women, leaders, and responsible human beings. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that every one of the 12 women invited by BlogHer to attend were awestruck at the collective wisdom of the panel speakers.
Our group of women as we toured the World of Coke with the Coca-Cola historian, Phil.
Themes began to emerge about values and work ethics and not leaving anyone behind. (Oops. Did my educational training just slip in there? Sorry. At least I didn’t use the NCLB acronym.) I was furiously trying to tweet what I learned only to see that the same things striking me as important were already being said so I wound up just re-tweeting. (We also used the #cclp hashtag that stood for Coca-Cola Live Positively and not Crazy Cat Lady Project) I learned things like:
Lift as you climb.
Blogs will change our future history. People want to know what regular people are going through.
Personal need leads bloggers to create advocacy for an entire community.
88% of people that read blogs trust information that they read. Trust translates into action.
Owning your decisions can help your family accept your tough calls – your kids will respect the choice more without mixed messages.
My favorite, however, was this:
Balance is a false goal. I am unwilling to put a job I love against a family I love.
My experience is unique to me and what I was reminded of, as a leader of teachers and students, is that some things are ever present and that unless we promote leadership and sustainability in the balance of power we can never hope to advocate for anything that matters. Women taught me that.
Women.
Very powerful women.
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“Crazy Cat Lady Project” – ha ha ha ha ha ha
great post. I miss everyone.
“88% of people that read blogs trust information that they read. Trust translates into action,” needs to be “Pangie believes 100% of what Kelly tells her.”
You know opinionated women? Who?
You are hilarious. Thank you for making me laugh! And for sharing our boyfriend, Phil.
“Owning your decisions can help your family accept your tough calls – your kids will respect the choice more without mixed messages.”
Wise words. I’m printing them out and taping them to the top of my monitor.