When The Conference Ends
How to keep the energy and momentum going even when the high wears off
I’ve just wrapped up a week at the IAMAS conference, and I’m buzzing with ideas about maternal activism, feminist scholarship, and all the ways we're reimagining what it means to lead as mothers in this world.
These past few days I’ve heard from so many scholars and activists who are doing the important work of centering mothers' voices and challenging systems that devalue care. I’ve taken so many notes and have lots of new emails and phone numbers with amazing new connections - my heart and my brain are full!
But also…I'm ready for a break! 😂
For months, I've been in conference prep mode - organizing volunteers, planning presentations, and making sure I showed up ready to contribute to conversations that matter deeply to me. The last few weeks especially have been very intensive with questions coming seemingly every minute, and then being ON all day for four days.
Now that it's wrapping up, I can feel myself finally shifting into summer mode. I’m ready for pool days with my three kids that don’t involve me bringing research and a highlighter, or actually using the hammock in our backyard instead of just walking past it with my laptop.
Here's what I know from experience though: conference high is real, and so is conference crash. All these brilliant insights and connections can either transform into real change in my life and work, or they can become another set of scribbles in my journal.
Through coaching I’ve learned that lasting transformation doesn’t happen in the “aha!” moment, it happens in the follow up and accountability to myself. And I know the conference high is going to wear off. So THIS TIME I'm getting intentional. Before I even left Boston, I got to the airport early so I could sit down and schedule follow-up emails with the people who lit me up. I've blocked time in my calendar this week to actually review my notes while they're still fresh. And this year I'm choosing THREE specific ideas from this weekend that I want to integrate into my work (not thirty!)
There's something sort of beautifully “feminine energy” about this transition - it’s not linear, it’s cyclical, labyrinthian. I’m moving from the intensity of deep learning and networking back to the rhythm of family life, back to the settling and integrating of new ideas. The key is not losing the thread between them all.
Speaking of which, I'm returning home to some exciting new coaching clients that I can't wait to work with. There's nothing quite like working with women who are ready to step into their power and question the rules they've been following. Besides, some of my favorite work happens in this space between inspiration and integration, helping people bridge the gap between what they've learned and how they want to live.
AND I'm feeling this pull to develop something I've been dreaming about for a while now. You know me as someone who writes about redefining leadership, challenging systems, and finding our rebel voices. Well, I'm ready to take that work deeper and to create spaces where we can explore what it really means to lead like the rebels we are, with the support and accountability to actually make it happen.
More on that soon! For now, I'm just grateful for spaces like the IAMAS conference that remind me I'm not alone in this work, and for the understanding that I’ll take the learning with me in my work and with my family.
What are you most looking forward to as we settle into summer? And if you've been to any inspiring events lately, how are you keeping that momentum alive?