Real women gather for sharing session

Everybody loves amazing stories of how some ordinary people have overcome adversity. These moments have proven to be transformative for the people themselves but organizers of a special event to be held this weekend are saying that the stories can be transformative for audiences too.

Cara Robertson and Sinive Seely are putting on Real Women, Real Stories as a way of enriching lives in much the same way as the TEDTalks events do.

“We wanted to create a unique event that would provide a forum for women to come together, connect, inspire one another and give a voice to their stories with the ultimate goal of building community,” Seely explained. “I believe that we all have a story that needs to be shared.”

As far as Robertson is concerned, she was really just hoping to build up a support network of sorts.

“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to be involved in this event is because I was craving community. ”

For her, it started when she was having conversations with Seely about changes that they were making or goals that they were setting in their lives. The simple act of talking it out with a good friend was instrumental to the success of the change or the goal.

“And one day it hit me! How amazing would it be if we had a community of women around us like this? A tribe of smart, motivated, spiritual women who were interested in creating the same kind of world we are. So, when you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s time to start creating it, and that’s what we did. This event is just the beginning,” Robertson stated.

Real Women, Real Stories is their first big step toward that tribe. The organizers promise an event that offers participants “a break from their day-to-day lives, take some time out for themselves and come out and enjoy the company of other amazing women.”

“We expect there will be lots of laughs, maybe some tears and some very powerful and personal stories shared. We want them to leave feeling inspired, engaged, present and empowered to live their best lives,” Seely continued.

The three-hour forum is geared to offer an inside look at the lives of five Edmonton women who will be sharing their stories of authentic transformation. Seely herself will be offering a talk on taking time for yourself while Robertson will speak on things that can get in the way of personal growth.

Other speakers include stress management expert Deepika Mittra, humanitarian Vanessa Mansell and comedian Barb North.

Robertson continued, “It can be challenging to truly focus on your growth in your day-to-day life. We think this will be the perfect space for women to take a moment and contemplate their current satisfaction level and what changes they could make to improve it. We want our audience to meet some like-minded women, have a few laughs and take away some experiential knowledge from our speakers.”

The event will also include time to mingle and network with other attendees and speakers. There will also be a special musical performance by Jinting Zhao plus refreshments, swag bags and door prizes.

The event takes place Saturday, Sept. 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Enjoy Centre.