The Influencers at Midlife Summit – Great Things Happen when you bring women together in support of each other. 

On the weekend of January 18th through 20th in a trendy little hotel in Alpharetta, Georgia, the Influencers of Midlife Summit came to life.  Fifty plus midlife women gathered to celebrate, support and grow together as influencers but more importantly, to grow as women and friends.

The Venue – The Hotel Avalon

Such a beautiful setting for the Summit.    This hotel is designed to attract influencers and brands alike.  From the moment you walk into the hotel lobby, you can feel the eclectic vibe. There are several locations for photo ops – swings, moss covered walls, an amazing bar, an inviting sitting area in the lobby complete with sofas, chairs, a fireplace and stunning mirrored bookcase walls.

The rooms are finished with barn doors, lighted mirrors, comfortable beds and a large TV’s.  My room was very comfortable and pretty.  The white and gray theme is soothing to the eye and mind.  I appreciated the lighted mirror in the bathroom.  It was very helpful when getting ready.  The comfortable bed made getting some sleep (no matter how little) easy.

The conference rooms we were in were well lit and comfortable.  The hotel provided a tasty breakfast each morning along with Starbucks coffee (served throughout the hotel).  One of the biggest pluses for me was that the temperature in the conference room was not freezing as can be the case sometimes in hotel conference rooms. 

The Food

The food provided by the hotel was tasty and plentiful.  On Friday evening, we had an Italian Feast complete with tortellini, salmon, salad, flank steak and tiramisu!  Yum.

Breakfasts were continental style with muffins, breakfasts breads, fruit and yogurt.  Juice, water and coffee were available throughout the day.  I particularly appreciated the fruit infused water!

Lunch was also amazing with hot vegetable soup, sandwiches, salads and dessert.

The Speakers

There were several uplifting and motivating speakers.  There were also doctors, aestheticians and other vendors that spoke about their services and products.

A few highlights for me:

Jessica Jane Photography – this young lady was a wealth of information.  Did you know that you should consider Instagram as a business tool.  For me the purpose of Instagram is to drive traffic to my blog.  So Instagram should reflect your total brand.  For me, my brand is colorful and bright. 

Jessica Jane

Your brand should consist of photos and captions that contain the following:

  • What you want your followers to see
  • Things that make you happy
  • What do you want your brand to represent
  • What type of readers do you want to attract
  • To gain followers:  post each day, be consistent, and most of all – BE YOU!
  • Use Instagram Stories to show some of the behind the scenes of your life and your brand.
  • She also shared with us the best way to use light for our photos as well as her favorite tools – VSCO and Snapseed.

Lisa Washington – Life with Lisa Washington.  This beautiful young woman is a holistic nutritionist.  She was very engaging and has an incredible life story about kidney disease.  Check out her blog.

What I learned from her:

Lisa Washington

What you digest and eliminate in your mind, body and soul is the key to healthy living.

  • Digest positive thinking; eliminate negative thinking
  • Digestion is either healing or hurting
  • Keep it simple and it won’t be complicated
  • Think about the company you keep – is there something or someone you need to eliminate?

Nina and Robin:

These two ladies talked with us the importance of creating great content on your own platform.  Use social media to drive followers to your blog.  Know what your “why” is and use that to create content that grabs your followers and keeps them coming back. 

  • Write first then figure out the key word.
  • Make your content count.   Have a jazzy title and then deliver!
  • Be consistent with your posts and captions.
  • Best day to post a blog is Tuesday or Thursday.
  • Get involved in linkups

The Brands

Kendra Scott – beautiful store and jewelry pieces.           

J Jill – love this clothing line and thoroughly enjoyed the fashion show.

Soft Surroundings – this clothing line is new to me and is fast becoming my favorite. Their store has lots of things including jewelry, beauty products and accessories!

Athleta – this sport clothing brand has been around awhile.  One of my favorites and their Power of She program uniting women and girls is unprecedented in the women supporting women movement.

I have saved the best of The Influencers of Midlife Sumitt – The Women!

The WOMEN

I was so looking forward to meeting everyone.   Robin and Nina were so welcoming.  Friday night was a smaller group of women which allowed more time for talking and getting to know each other.

Patricia, Jo Ann, Me and Melanie

Each woman had so much to offer.  We shared tips, tricks and help for making our posts better.  We made suggestions to each other for content ideas.  We helped each other hone in on our niche.  This was truly women supporting women.  I learned the best time to post my blog, joining in different linkups and arranging my Instagram and Facebook posts to adhere to a schedule.

In particular, I wanted to meet Mels2ndAct and Patrishpages.  I have gotten to know these two women through several Instagram and Facebook groups over the past year.  It was the highlight of my long drive on Friday to meet and hang out with these women.  Seeing their beautiful faces in real life solidified our friendship.  We were so at ease with each other – it was like seeing friends that you haven’t seen in a long time.  We spent lots of time together taking photos, talking, sharing ideas and working on tech stuff!  Oh yes, and drinking wine!

I can’t thank Robin and Nina enough for hosting this event. It was everything I needed it to be – learning, laughing, empowering, supportive…I could go on. I will leave you with this thought, if you are thinking about growing your blog and your brand, attending this event will be well worth your time. Until next year, keep Reinventing Midlife!

Kim

Reinventing Midlife

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