So many women were wondering "Where is the platform to encourage, inspire and educate women all at the same time?" The answer THE MERGE!!!! This year this very special event was housed at the Baltimore Convention Center for 3 days! July 11-13, women from all over came out to be a part of the nonstop concentrated goodness that was happening in epic abundance.
It was nothing short of a family affair. Everyone was smiling, greeting each other with hugs, kind gestures and compliments as if they were old friends. There was no age limit or age restriction to this amazing event. There were faces so young in attendance, they were in strollers and faces so graceful they were walking with canes but respect, kindness and admiration were in full swish across the board. It was wonderful!
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| Mia Wright-President & Founder, We CAN-CERVive & Laura Foos-Entrepreneur/Owner of Salon Couture |
My unapologetic FASHIONISTAS were no doubt in the building. It is safe to say that the ladies showed up and showed out with bold statements from head to toe! Let's talk hair, shall we. With Fabulous fros, twists, locs, braids, Mohawks, coifs, buns, shaved sides, curls, waves, bobs, close cuts...#WEDIDTHAT Floral jumpsuits, flowing floor length dresses, colorful African prints, chic pant suits, graphic rhinestone tees, cool blazers with exaggerated hankys, designer pins on lapels, way swaggy hats, 6 inch heels & Fly Girl flats...#WESLAYYYYYED
There was something for everyone...literally. There were MASTER CLASSES spearheaded by seasoned professionals...authors, editors, casting directors, singers, hair stylists, actresses, models, DJ's and more! I loved that the classes/panel discussions were interactive. It allowed audience members to ask specific questions tailored made for their current reality which was way helpful.
For those of you who don't know Robi Reed is a BIG deal! Robi Reed is an American casting director and producer. She has over 50 films and television shows to her credit, including Antwone Fisher, The Best Man, Soul Food, For Colored Girls, Love Jones, Set It Off, In Living Color and Girlfriends. Saying that her Casting Experience/Cold Read Session was completely booked is saying nothing more than stating the obvious.
With a long line of acting hopefuls in the hallway that missed the opportunity to register online for this amazing opportunity, Ms. Reed was gracious in letting everyone of interest pile in the room. We were totally excited, relieved and grateful. With a powerhouse like Robi Reed in our midst anything is possible. We all look forward to a future with limitless potential for all of our dreams to come true! #ROBIREEDYOUINSPIRE
What can we say about the ever FAB Kim Kimble? Well, I can say that she's kind and gracious, warm and polite to everyone she's encountered. She took tons of pictures with her fans and fellow supporters. It was a pleasure meeting you KIM!! #BOSSKIM
Real Talk Kim completely SLAYYYED!!!! She lives up to her name 1000%. She was bold, fearless, unapologetic in her honesty and she was funny as ever!!! Thank you Kim for going above and beyond to uplift and inspire! #UNSTOPPABLE
Nothing was sugarcoated or watered down...NOTHING! If you didn't want to hear the low down dirty truth that may very well be hindering you from living your best life, then you were in the wrong place. Sheri Riley, Author/Empowerment speaker/Life strategist led the timely discussion introducing Casting Director Leah Daniels Butler, Endyia Kinney-Sterns, Executive Producer and Creator along with Kierra Sheard, Artist who were especially passionate in their deliveries and I loved it!!!! I could have stayed there forever.
They were serving it straight no chaser but the beauty was it was done out of love! There were times that Speaker, Influencer and Founder-Cameka Smith would say to the audience "You guys can clap if you want to..." because everyone was listening so intently there was hardly any sound at all coming from the hundreds of women who were no doubt eager to soak up as much information as possible. #THEWISETAKENOTE
If you're waiting to hear all about cookie cutter experiences where everyone had it easy...you will be waiting for a very long time. These women had been through the fire.
Marilyn Booker, Managing Director and the Head of Morgan Stanley's Urban Markets Group dropped tons of knowledge on us and we were not complaining! She shared the importance of service and asking how you can aid another as oppose to taking.
Dr. Condessa Curley shared touching experiences that her very own Grandmother shared like "Always walk lightly and carry a big stick" translation "Be humble & take God with you everywhere." I think we could all agree that that's sound advice. Thank GOD for GOD and Grandmothers! I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Curley one on one and she was both warm and personable as she listened to me and gave very thoughtful advice. YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
Michelle Thornton, Sr. VP at BET kept it so real it gave us LIFE!!!! She spoke on the highs and lows in things both business & personal. She spoke on having "Everything" to having nothing and what it really means to be a BOSS. She answered as many questions as time allotted with extreme transparency. #MICHELLEUROCK
Dorinda Walker, Sr. Vice President, Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer shared her journey as well. It was remarkable as she recalled her humble beginnings with heroin addicts for parents and went on to explain how that impacted her life. At one point with nothing to her name to speak of she turned it all around with hard work, tenacity and education. So much so that her bold fresh ideas caused a company to create a position for her of which she is now the VP! #WERKKK
Next up...Mikki Taylor, Essence Chief Editor joins the discussion with Bold, Beautiful and On Purpose. With a big warm welcome in the form of cheers and applause ANTM fan favorite Eva Marcille, Model/Actress and the one thee only MC LYTE, Entertainer/DJ/Speaker/Actress/ Voiceover Talent/Philanthropist join Mikki on stage to share their stories and life experiences. Hearing each of them speak on struggles such as domestic violence, the need for a change, the desire to do more, being open enough to understand that God may very well have something different for you than you may have envisioned for yourself was definitely food for thought and it touched us all.
It was eye opening! Just as we were all deep into the thick of the discussion it happened...the power went out, completely. The backup generators helped with lights but not the sound. Not to worry, we carried on in the only way that BOSSES would. Their seats were relocated to the very front of the stage and the audience moved in as close as possible, some even stood for the duration of the chat.
When the time came to ask questions the ladies were ready and firing them off in rapid succession. One young lady went as far as asking if she could model for Eva's eyewear and the audience instantly applauded her for her courage and tenacity! Wait til you hear what Eva's response was. Eva said "I have a show next week in Miami, if you make it there you can model in my show!" It was quite the moment and we were all super excited for the young lady but with time running out under the umbrella of "All good things must come to an end!" we thanked each of them both collectively and individually for their time.
Make no mistake, God from whom all blessings flow, was thee topic of conversation EVERYDAY!!! Each day began and concluded with praise and worship and all throughout the days events everyone who shared their stories told the highs and the lows of what life looked like for them when God was not the focus in their lives and how things changed when he indeed became the focus. It was right on time.
It was my pleasure meeting Dr. Holly Carter, Merge Summit Founder! She is hands down a powerhouse and a visionary! To bring a platform like this to life with so much energy and enthusiasm shows her heart for giving back and paying it forward. Thank you Dr. Holly for being an example of what a true leader looks like!
The clarity, the boldness, the transparency, the honesty...it was more than refreshing and inspiring...it was healing! Thousands of strong, energetic, vibrant, intelligent, beautiful women of color were supporting each other. Everyone took off their game faces and recognized that they were in a safe place where they were surrounded by others who just wanted to see them succeed. It was undeniably powerful!
There was a lot of deep info being dispersed on a constant but don't think for a second that that means that there wasn't nonstop fun happening because there was! Everything that we FAB girls love was there for the taking. I'm talking FASHION...fresh, bold high end fashions that will surely turn heads and have others take notice. MAKEUP...fully equipped with onsite MUA's to give you that flawless look that you dream of. MUSIC...the kind where you couldn't help but tap a toe...oh, who am I kidding? Forget tapping a toe, folks forgot where they were and broke out into full "YOU GOT SERVED" mode! (No pictures will be presented to protect the innocent.) LOL
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Brittany was productive interviewing the masses inquiring how we were enjoying #THEMERGE
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Being as though it was the hottest day of the year we were happy we didn't have to abandon our cool air conditioned environment to venture out into 100 degree weather. Truth be told it was over a hundred degrees in the kitchen of that concession but they never skipped a beat. They were totally professional, with big smiles and efficient service combined with fresh food that made our already amazing day even better! #WINNING
Bottom line, no matter what, you just couldn't escape the feeling of joy, pride, dignity, awareness, support and yes, love...not that we wanted to. The environment was so beautiful I told several attendees that I wish it could be a 4 year University where each day we would be nourished with this level of GREATNESS! #MERGESYMPOSIUM2017
If you have yet to experience THE MERGE please make it a priority. You will NOT regret it! THE MERGE is currently touring. Next stop...Houston, Texas on August 26, 2017.
REGISTER TODAY!!!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YA!!!!
WWW.THEMERGESUMMIT.COM
WWW.ANSWERMOVEMENT.COM
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