AWE Summit Zurich October 2015
Empowering, inspiring, ultimately awesome:
A kick to your self-confidence
By Leda Nishino
Photos by Mike Flam
What does a clown, a motorcycle racer and a spiritual medium have in common? At the recent AWE Summit, I learned that they are all powerful women who found their true self in their careers and now make a remarkable difference in this world.
The AWE Summit event was held in Zurich for the second time on 31st October 2015.
The AWE (Assertive Women Entrepreneurs) Summit under the motto “Giving Voice to Women” has a storytelling format and aims to influence people and move them into action. This was the second one held in Zurich, after an earlier one in June in Barcelona. It was an opportunity to meet amazing women from different professions who above all, are loyal to their core values and beliefs.
There were 14 brave speakers sharing their personal stories with an audience of around 150 people.
On stage, we saw daring women showing their vulnerability in order to encourage others in similar battles, those who might also be struggling with difficulties and obstacles in life. They are entrepreneurs, career women and artists coming from different backgrounds and with successful stories conquered by their strength and belief in their dreams.
We all have our bad days, days that sometimes turn into phases, sad experiences and tribulations. There are times when we are about to lose our faith, we want to give up and we keep on suffering. These speakers showed us that we are not alone, they all had to fight their personal demons, pull themselves together and put their feet firmly back on track, in order to be able to stand tall and proudly say “I did it!”
As Mahima Klinge says: “Like our body needs water, our soul needs silence” so it’s no wonder that most of the speakers have an intimate relationship with meditation as a key tool to self-discovery and enrichment. Many of them, like Stacey Wallaberger had to fight depression and face their own vulnerability, leaving the safety of keeping up appearances. Sometimes we take things and ourselves too seriously, and this can be very tough. However, Caroline Dream claims that we all have a clown inside us and we must remember that we don’t need to be perfect!
We must fight for our place in the sun and like Anita Hussain, we ought to believe that there is something inside us greater than any obstacle. According to Laura Heselton, to reach our goals, we have not only to acknowledge them, but also truly believe in them, love life and break our own barriers because we can do anything we want! We should not hesitate – “Act first then think” is the motto of Jane Piper. We should find our passion as Silvia Sanchez did, quitting a law career and succumbing to her paintbrush. Likewise, Sabine Holbrook, a stunning successful executive, discovered her own truth racing on a motorcycle.
Lastly but not least, let us get influence by a woman Lisa Chuma, who has achieved so much against all odds. All these outstanding speakers knew exactly what they were talking about. They have a personal motivation as the key ingredient for a perfect presentation, as explained by Sandra Van de Cauter, Communications Manager at Roche Ltd. During the event our body and souls were also nourished by the beautiful music from Isabelle Walliker, the liberating and bonding body work from Gisela Rocha and the mind-blowing drums from Cornelia Jecklin that frankly brought me to tears.
Lesson learned: The secret to happiness and personal success is to be present and whole-hearted in everything you do. The next AWE Summit is happening in Zurich in September 2016, but if you can’t wait, there will be one in Porto (May) and another one in Barcelona (June). Save your seat, fasten your belt, welcome on board to this spectacular journey.
AWE Summit gives back to Global Gratitude Alliance. Tulia Lopes, the event organizer, also gives courses on how to become an influential speaker.
Article by Leda Nishino. Leda is an Image Consulting Teacher and Journalist in Zurich
Instagram: @ima_zh
Twitter: @image_zh
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3 comments
Dear Leda, thank you very much for sharing your impressions of the event with such care on the details.
It was my pleasure having you there, and looking forward to sharing more experiences with you in the neat future.
Tulia Lopes
Wonderful work:)
Yes, thanks very much to Leda for covering 🙂