Women in Business Expo 2018 and ‘Inspire You!’ – Part Two

By Gibron Rahim
THE celebration of the contributions Guyanese women make every single day to our society extended beyond March 8, as is fitting. Among the events were the Women in Business Expo 2018 and the “Inspire You!” motivational event. The two events highlighted the economic contribution women are making to our country and reaffirmed the bonds of sisterhood that strengthen them.

The Women in Business Expo, celebrating its third year, was held on March 10 and 11 in the Savannah Suite of the Pegasus Hotel. The two-day event, which followed six weeks of intensive training in various aspects of entrepreneurship, allowed female business owners the opportunity to exhibit their products and services. The “Inspire You!” event was held on March 11, also in the Savannah Suite, and closed the expo. It was marked by powerful speeches delivered by women who have overcome challenges and are making a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

Luann Nero is the owner of Aderita’s Creations which offers event planning services and was also an exhibitor at this year’s expo. She related that she learnt much from the business forums before the expo. She got more than she could have anticipated when she first signed up. “It allowed us also to celebrate women, we celebrated each other’s achievements,” she said. The networking from the forums and the expo has also sowed the seeds for future partnering between the women.

Reona Cathro, owner of the Bumble Bee Daycare and Playgroup, was unfortunately not able to take part in the expo but was a part of the business forums leading up to the event. She noted that the forums were very informative. She explained that she learnt quite a bit relating to the use of technology. She commended Sonia Noel for empowering women since she pointed out that there are women who do not realise their worth.

Meanwhile, Noel, in the opening remarks of “Inspire You!” emphasised the importance of encouraging people to be the best version of themselves. She noted that the lineup of speakers would do a great job in that regard. Noel herself had been scheduled to be one of the speakers but had decided to give her place to a fellow John Maxwell certified speaker. Instead, she took over as M.C. of the event. A clip of the late Maya Angelou reciting her poem “Still I Rise” was played. Noel explained that she always thinks of the poem whenever she ponders life and our purpose on earth.

The evening’s first speaker was Hilda Bournes. In her introduction of Bournes, Noel noted that Bournes is a bestselling author and entrepreneur and has been in business for over 16 years. She is also the CEO and founder of Dream 360 through which she is able to reach out to women who have experienced various forms of trauma and help them to dream again. Bournes opened by inviting the audience to look under their seats for cards, each handwritten and with a different message. She then proceeded to guide the assembled audience through the process of overcoming trauma and finding purpose.

The process, Bournes explained, is a difficult one and is filled with obstacles. She urged the audience to be helpful and loving toward those who may be going through trauma.
Next up to speak was Samantha Gooden, Marketing Consultant at GTT and a John Maxwell certified speaker. She explained that sometimes discovering and connecting with the best of oneself requires going through some of the worst life experiences. She related that eight years ago she discovered that she had had fibroids which required surgery.

After the procedure, Gooden became progressively and inexplicably more ill. She was rushed out of St. Lucia to Trinidad and Tobago for emergency surgery. It was discovered by the doctors in Trinidad that one of the fibroids had been missed and had attached itself to her colon.

After a second major surgery that saved her life, Gooden was put on three months recuperation. Gooden made numerous resolutions on her sickbed about how she would live once she recovered. However, one resolution – the dream of travelling to Australia – remained out of reach due to numerous setbacks. Referring to dreams, she noted, “If we focus on the ‘how’, we’ll always be discouraged.” Instead, “What we must focus on is the ‘what’ and everything in life will align” as she herself has experienced numerous times. Eventually, she was able to go to Australia. Then, this past January she was able to go to Bali where she was able to meet people and have experiences she could never have conceived of. And it all began, she said, with a surgery that went wrong.

Linda Felix-Johnson then joined Noel on the stage. Felix-Johnson is the President of Women of Mission International (WOMI). In conversation with Noel, she related the experiences that led to her current path. Felix-Johnson had worked on Wall Street for 18 years and almost died during the events of September 11 when she was trapped under rubble. After praying not to die and being rescued, she changed her life course and began studying nursing.

A conversation with the superintendent at her granddaughter’s school led her into education. She would eventually lose her job at the school she was teaching at due to her frequent visits to Guyana to help others. The students at her former school began suffering, leading to the school’s teachers sending the students to her home. Felix-Johnson’s literacy foundation was born out of those sessions.

Taking the podium following the conversation with Felix-Johnson was Sherry Ann Dixon. A renowned journalist, transformational speaker and keynote speaker, the Guyana-born Dixon has been living in Guyana these last few months while working on her upcoming book. She shared some of her life experiences with the audience. She lost her mother at a young age to uterine cancer. She had left Guyana to live with her aunt in the United Kingdom. She was first a secretary and then a marketer. After discovering her journalistic ability she began writing, leading her to become beauty editor and then editor of PRIDE Magazine.

Having become bored, Dixon moved to St. Lucia where she became the editor of SHE Caribbean. She found that she could not stay. “I was lonely in Paradise,” she said simply. It was too late for her to return to her old job, however. The place had been filled. The state of affairs led Dixon into a state of depression. She related how the dreadlocks that had taken her 10 years to grow started to fall out. She did not know who to turn to for help she said. Eventually, her partner suggested that they go to see a doctor who suggested counselling. Though initially skeptical of the idea, she now credits that counsellor as a godsend. Since then Dixon’s upward momentum has not stopped.

Speaker Ayana McCalman welcomed the audience to “Soul Care 101”. McCalman is an attorney-at-law, legal researcher and owner of her business, McCalman & Co. Legal Services, which provides legal solutions for business owners. She explained that “Soul Care 101” is based on the two concepts of realising that self-care is not selfish and that “you can’t give from an empty cup”. She shared two practices that have been helping her on her journey to becoming the best version of herself – saying “no” first and the three Cs of confidence, competence and clarity.

Addressing the audience next was Christine Neblett. She is the successful owner of her own shipping business. Neblett related that her life has not been without failings, including in the area of business. However, she shared that money is not an obstacle to starting a business. She had initially been running her business out of her home.

Due to her husband’s objection she had to find another location. Though she located to the ideal site for her business, she did not have the money to cover the security deposit and the first month’s rent. Still, she agreed to meet the landlord to draft the paperwork. She received a fortuitous phone call. The individual on the line, though they did not know the challenge she was facing or how much money she needed, wrote her a cheque that covered all the expenses.

The evening’s final speaker was Dr. Jackie Evans-Phillips, an author, motivational speaker, life coach and educator. She is also the founder and owner of Life Changers Consulting (LLC) which is a company that provides life empowerment services and educational consulting. The process of life, she explained, is all about valleys and mountaintops. She found this to be evident in her own life.

She experienced the dissolution of her marriage and the loss of her job, all close to the time she received her doctorate. The series of events began a three-year process of God breaking and remaking her, she said. Evans-Phillips guided the audience through the steps of that journey that can be applied to their own journeys and struggles.