Hi everyone! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably know that I was in NYC this past weekend for Her Conference! For months, I've been super excited for this event not only because of the amazing keynote speakers (Troian Bellisario and Aja Naomi King, I mean come on) but also because all of the panels were super interesting to me! I attended panels on marketing, PR, entrepreneurship, and book publishing; each one leaving me so inspired and with so many ideas!
Her Conference also had so many sponsors, most of which I already knew and loved, that provided free gifts! I left with so many beauty products courtesy of Ulta Beauty as well as a new planner from Brit and Co. I also discovered Suja juice (it was stalked in all the fridges) and I fell in love, I'm absolutely obsessed with it. I consumed 3 on Saturday, no joke!
Saving the best for last, Her Conference had 7 amazing keynote speakers. My top 3 were Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Troian Bellisario, and Aja Naomi King. Amani was the surprise for me, I had never heard of her before but her speech moved me in a way I wasn't expected. She passionate and articulate in a way that I strive to be. Troian Bellisario is an actress that I've loved for years, mainly because Spencer Hastings is my favorite of the PLL girls and the one I relate to the most. She was kind and enthusiastic answering questions about PLL as well as her new movie Feed (which I saw last night and absolutely terrified me, it is brilliant). Last, but definitely not least, the final keynote speaker of the weekend was Aja Naomi King. I'm a huge Shonda Rhimes fan, but How to Get Away with Murder is the one show from TGIT that I don't watch. Aja was well spoken, honest, and truly hilarious in a way that sparks my interest in HTGAWM just because she's in it. My shining moment this weekend was being the first attendee to ask her a question and having her look me in the eyes as she joined in my applause and answered my question in a meaningful way.
Her Conference was one of the best weekends of my summer by far, and hopefully, I will be there again next year. I highly recommend that all college-age women attend at least once because it will truly change your perspective! xoxo, Lauren Alston.
