I attended the Disney Social Media Moms “On the Road” Celebration in my hometown of New York City on June 5th and the experience was out of this world! I was thrilled to be invited and when I arrived, I was treated like royalty from the moment I stepped into the Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan New York. The other Disney Moms and I were greeted by Gary B (PR and social media for Disney) with incredible energy and a welcoming hello. As we were seated, we were served a delicious breakfast and on our tables were plush Disney characters as well as a Mickey Mouse chocolate covered Rice Krispy treats! The fun definitely started with the details!
I walked away with so many beautiful and inspirational stories like that of Jennifer Labit (Founder and CEO of Cotton Babies and creator of bumGenius) who I could so relate to. When you are placed in a hard spot financially, you are humbled as you weigh your options and choose how to go on with your life. Listening to her story took me back to when I had just a dollar in my pocket, not very long ago. Yes, having a father who owned his business and a mother who was left quite well off didn’t mean I had anything to my own name. I have always worked for what I have and sometimes things can take a turn for the worse. This is when you truly identify your strengths and know exactly what you are capable of. We all have stories, but many don’t have the opportunity to tell them unless we have our own little space, like this one I have right here!
Yes, I have thought about; will I ever get to take my children to Disney? But not as much as I’ve thought about; will my children remember me as a hard working Mami? Will they remember that I taught many years in a classroom, sat at the kitchen table writing lesson plans, and wrote into the wee hours of the night because my heart continued to speak out loud and I needed to type it up to let myself out. As Maria Bailey said, “We are teaching our children to chase their goals and passions when we are on the computer. They are learning valuable lessons when we are not there.” She went on to say, “If you love your work, your children will love their work too.”
I also loved all of what Jennifer had to share especially her thoughts on defining oneself, What is important to you? What are your rules? Tell the truth, operate with integrity, plan ahead. When do you stop? What are your goals? Is there an exit? She had genius, thought-provoking comments. If you only look at stories of success you don’t see the whole picture. When you look at the failures, you see what went wrong along the way. Jennifer shared, “If you only follow what has been done already, you won’t get further than that. Create new!” She reminded us moms that there have to be boundaries and we have to be willing to put it all away at some point and give our families the undivided attention they so deserve!
The panel of mompreneurs was great as well as they shared an abundance of information. They reminded us that we have to love our job. They discussed trademarking our idea and the thought of your idea being patented. They shared some of what they did and how they have become so successful. Michelle Stepney (manager of media coverage at Disney) enlightened us about telling stories that capture folks’ attention and other social media tips that were very helpful.
All the information that was shared was wonderful and it all really resonated with me. I would be telling a lie if I said I didn’t want to attend a Social Media Conference with Disney and experience “The Happiest Place on Earth” with my family in the future. The fact that I was able to attend this conference was second best to that. Walking away with all the information and inspiration that I received and some awesome new connections is fulfilling enough for me at this moment. It was an experience that will last for a lifetime and one that I am truly grateful for and humbled by!
Have you attended the Disney Social Media Moms Conference? Be sure to follow their hashtag at #DisneySMMoms to receive up to date exciting news!
[…] to contribute to various sites. Honored for all of these wonderful events I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Event in my very own New York City as well and Blogging While Brown, and went on to become Top Bloguera […]