Are you thinking about attending Be MPowered for the first time?

I’m here to say: do it.

I went last year and I walked away with two new friends, a new client and a whole lot of new contacts.

I’ll explain. I live about 1.5hrs from the city so getting to an event that starts at 8am in the city is tricky (the traffic heading into town is bananas during peak hour).

A local acquaintance of mine got in touch to see if I wanted to travel up on the train together. She brought along another friend, and off we went. I had my one-year-old son in tow because I thought I would give the on-site childcare a go.

We arrived, got coffees, ran into some more people from our local area and then it was straight into the program.

And the program was solid gold.

I say that with some qualification as I used to edit a trade magazine that dealt in conferences. I have been to a lot of conferences. I have even been to conferences about conferences.

In the main auditorium, we listened to a keynote presentation about innovative thinking, marketing and so much more.

What was extraordinary for me, as a truly jaded conference goer, was that there were babies in the audience. Lots of beautiful mamas (with surprisingly good hair, considering the 8am start) holding bubs and listening attentively.

This rocked my world.

Why? Because this was genuinely inclusive conference. I have been writing about the need for creating inclusive environments for years. I have actively lobbied for gender diverse speaker panels. And here we were in a room where women with babies were encouraged to participate.

It was a glorious thing.

Another glorious thing was that a staff member from IAG, one of Australia’s biggest insurers, was sitting behind me.

We exchanged business cards and about six months later, after several phone meetings, I started writing some content for the company's brands.

Later that day, I had the privilege of participating in psychologist Kirsten Bouse’s workshop. Her presentation was called ‘Know your narrative: a cornerstone of identity, ambition and resilience as a woman, as a business woman and as a mother.’

To be honest, I can’t remember a lot of what she said but her presence made a huge impression on me.

I have since read her book, The Conscious Mother, and interviewed her several times for articles where I needed an expert opinion.

When the day was over, my friends and I jumped on the train with my little boy, who had been safely cared for by the Crechendo ladies during the sessions.

My son was absolutely feral on the train going home. But you know what made it better? I had two new friends to help me chase him around the carriage (thank you Ashlee Laura and Saffron Meade).

So, should you go to Be MPowered?

Answer these questions:

1. Do you want to make new business mum friends?
2. Do you want to connect with potential clients?
3. Do you want to be surrounded by smart people and learn new things that will help you in the years to come?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, get yourself there.

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