Guest Post by Shyla Chandra

The 2010 BC Women in Business Luncheon: Secrets of being highly productive and happy was an inspirational and heart warming event.  The moderator Rita Rogers had a lively stage presence that filled the room with her warm energy and humourous comments.  The panelists Linda Oglov, Nicole Byres, Sue Sinclair and Doris Cheng all added a unique perspective to the discussion. 

Linda made me feel excited to be sixty, one day.  Prior to her speech I couldn’t imagine being older than thirty.  Her stories of travel, career changes and constant reinvention helped me realized that life gets more exciting as we get older.  Nicole’s fundamentals of confidence in yourself, eating well and exercise are great building blocks for well being and motivation that often times we forget in everyday life.  Sue’s touching personal stories, helped put life into perspective.  Her message of choice and accountability is definitely needed for self-awareness and self-management. Doris embraces life to the fullest and her message of leaving comfort zones and trying new things was very inspirational.  She was such a raw, real person who made me feel more comfortable just being myself. 

All four of the presenters and their different life experiences were a interesting mix to the panel.  Nothing was repeated and each speaker brought her own personality and experiences to the panel.  Many in the audience, less experienced and more experienced could relate to something from each panelist. The attendees at the event had great stories as well.  I had the opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, a photographer, a hotel manager and even a geologist.  The Women in Business Luncheon is definitely an event for women of all ages, careers and experiences. 

Shyla  was a participant in the 2009 WIL Mentorship program and is a volunteer on the social media team.  She is a passionate student and aspiring social entrepreneur.  She loves reading, writing and running.  

For more on the May 6th event see video produced by Cossette West.  BC Women in Business luncheon.

Filed under: Events, WIL Events