The New York Times' Michael Winerip recently featured Tory Johnson, who will speak at the Conference, in an article about job fairs in today's economy.

Tory and Women for Hire will co-host the exclusive ReWork Career Fair, featuring local and national employers with current job openings,  for Conference attendees.

Will it finally be a woman's working world? A recent article in The New York Times notes that due to the recession, women are close to surpassing men on the payroll for the first time. Now more than ever, women need to connect, support, share best practices and inspire one another--and ride this wave to the top!

2007 speaker Lovetta Conto, a 15-year-old survivor of the Liberian civil war, fashions jewelry from civil war bullets to support other displaced children. Lovetta, who was one of five people shortlisted for the 2008 International Children's Peace Prize, knows firsthand the dangers faced by children.

Separated from her mother and country at the age of four during the Liberian conflict, she fled to Ghana with her father, where she lived for nine years with various families in refugee camps. There she worked with a team of American volunteers to build a school for unaccompanied minors, and further distinguished herself by advocating for special education for sight-impaired children.

Based on her demonstrated inner resilience and leadership aptitude, she was chosen to participate in The Strongheart Fellowshi as the inaugural Fellow. Through that program, she was required to create a "for benefit" business, a project that would combine commerce and compassion - benefiting herself, her peers, and her community.

Taking her cue from her love of fashion, Lovetta took spent bullet casings left behind from the Liberian civil war and transformed them into exquisite pieces of jewelry, creating a line she named AKAWELLE. Each piece includes a small leaf pendant made from melted bullet casings with the word "LIFE" imprinted on it to remind the world that "even after something as terrible as war, good can come and new life can begin." Profits from Lovetta's AKAWELLE jewelry line go to support other displaced young people through the development of Strongheart House, an international center for healing and learning for gifted and talented youth from the developing world.

Strongheart House, on the western coast of Africa in Liberia, is being built utilizing green technology, with a completion date set for late 2009. It will be completely off-grid and online. While living at Strongheart House, all of the young people - who come from challenging backgrounds such as slavery, war or extreme poverty - will participate in an innovative program that focuses on social entrepreneurship, leadership, and creative activism.

Lovetta has set a goal to sell 1500 pieces of jewelry in order to help open the house in time for the first group of six young people who are moving in from the refugee camp where she once lived. "The camp is closing and I want to help give them a beautiful place to live and grow." For Lovetta, it will be her first real home as well.

While the holiday season is a favorite time of year for some, this upcoming stretch can also be incredibly stressful, emotionally taxing and just plain exhausting for many of us. (There is a reason the rates of depression and suicide skyrocket in December and January).

There are five key strategies I advocate for creating more peace and less stress this time of year:

1. Approach the holidays intentionally: If you were to set an intention or theme for the holiday season what would it be? What do you most want to experience this time of year? Rest and relaxation (and lots of unscheduled downtime)? Spiritual reflection and renewal? Connection and sharing with close friends? Deeper or more meaningful exchanges with family? Creative expression (whether that’s through making things for others, singing or decorating)? Giving or volunteering to help those in pain or in need? What activities or choices might you make to support this intention? What do you need to let go?
2. Release expectations --particularly around family: What if you showed up at family holiday gatherings--whether you’re hosting the get-together or not--with the idea that this might be the last time you’d ever see your family members? How might you treat them? Do you think some of your expectations might change around how they should treat you, interact with one another or behave at group gatherings? Would your language or tone change while you were together? Would you initiate long overdue conversations? Express your love or gratitude for their presence in your life?
3. Schedule in time for self-care NOW! What do you need to nurture yourself—emotionally and physically—during this period? Maybe more exercise, protein-rich foods, emotional support from a close friend or mentor, taking an afternoon off for a solo date or just lightening your schedule so you can build in a 20-minute rest period between errands? I recommend you schedule time for yourself just like you would schedule a doctor’s appointment. (Read more about this theme from The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life by Renee Trudeau.) “Self care is not about self-indulgence. It’s about self-preservation.” Audre Lorde
4. Say yes to what feeds you and no to what doesn’t: Check out the Nine Ways to Say No for support in becoming more comfortable drawing boundaries. I like to ask myself “Is this something I really want to do—something that would feed me—or am I doing this because I think I should?” Actor Larry Eisenberg summed it up: “For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the Universe.”
5. Slow down and practice living in the present: The shopping will get done and you’ll make it to the meaningful holiday activities that are important to you. The question is, how do you want to feel while accomplishing these things? Stress comes from living in (or having thoughts about) the past or the future. Right here, right now, in this moment—there is no stress. Breathe. Slow down. And read more about this theme in Being Present and Remembering What Really Matters from The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal.

Before you enter this holiday season, think about last year: what worked and what didn’t work? Then, I challenge you to listen to your needs, say no to activities that don’t fuel you, make choices that support your emotional and physical well-being, keep it simple, and, when in doubt—practice self-kindness and be easy on yourself. You’ll be surprised by how many people around you will follow your lead.

2008 Texas Conference for Women panelist Renee Peterson Trudeau is a career and life balance coach and president of Austin-based Career Strategists. She is the author of the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Her work has been featured in Working Mother, American Way, Family Circle, US News & World Reports, Parenting, AARP and more. Thousands of women from around the U.S. are reading the Guide and starting and joining women's self-renewal circles--called Personal Renewal Groups--through www.ReneeTrudeau.com. Read more about Renee’s personal journey on her blog The Journey.

Fox 26 in Hoston covers the Conference in this "Worth Your Time" segment.  See the clip on the Fox 26 News web site.

The Houston Chronicle reported on ex-Ebay CEO Meg Whitman's opening keynote speech at the conference. Read the full article here.

"In 2005, I found myself at a major crossroads in my life. I went to the Texas Conference for Women looking for something that would help me find a new purpose and direction," says Lolis Garcia Baab. "What I found were women who inspired me to push past my fear and doubts and create a reality from a long-held dream."

That dream became "The Ladies Room with Lolis", Texas' only women's talk radio show featuring "real people, real stories, and real radio." The Ladies Room with Lolis a supporting organization of the Conference, airs Friday at noon at 1650AM El Paso, Sunday at noon at 1370AM Austin, or online at www.theladiesroomwithlolis.com. See all supporting organizations.

While on book tour for our third book, The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear, we were asked by dozens of reporters what is the most surprising thing we have learned while writing these books.

Well, the biggest realization we have had is that our professional challenges are not so unique. That is good and bad right? Good that we aren't alone, but bad that we're not as special as we thought. Being serious for a moment, the challenges that continue to crop up during our careers seem to be stumbling blocks for many of us.

A quick recap on what stops many of us from achieving our career goals:

• We don't ask for what we deserve or want at work.
• We don't sell our successes to our boss.
• We assume that if we put our heads down and work, our boss will notice and give us a raise or promotion.
• We let fears — public speaking, being told "no", getting fired — get in the way of where we want to go.
• We focus on what we don't want to do, not on what we do want.

So what can we do? Be aware of what baggage you may be bringing into the workplace that could be impacting your advancement. Know what motivates you.

Start keeping track of your accomplishments and contributions so that you will be ready for your yearly review or the timely elevator ride with your boss. Don't assume anyone is noticing your hard work so start filling your boss in. Ask yourself the tough questions about what you love about working and what situations bring out your best. And most of all, find a professional situation that inspires you to want and ask for more from yourself.

Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio are public relations and marketing professionals, authors and entrepreneurs. As authors of the best-selling Girls Guide series (The Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss and The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear), Ms. Friedman and Ms. Yorio have been featured on numerous national media. They will speak in a session titled Kicking Your Career into Gear: An Action Plan for Creating a Worklife that Thrills.

Last year, I left behind the wacky hours as a morning news anchor and embraced stay-at-home motherhood.  I’d been waking up at 2:30 a.m. for almost 10 years, and my husband and three girls were used to having someone else in the house every morning to help get them off to work and school.   Needless to say, this change was a huge transition for all of us.

Past that, I’ve found that I have a lot in common with other moms who have made this decision to quit work, slow down and shoulder the financial sacrifices of one income.   I’ve talked with teachers, skilled professionals and business executives who were successful but, like me, were burning too many candles at too many ends. 

We commiserate about hectic evenings crammed with a quick dinner, baths and homework, not to mention cranky weekends of laundry and household chores.  Heads nod in agreement when I say I felt like I was doing a little bit of everything, but never quite doing anything right.   
   
In fact, there’s a growing trend of college-educated women who are trading in their identity as a successful, working mom just to stay home and raise their children.  Census figures show 54 percent of mothers with a graduate or professional degree no longer work full time.

So, what does this mean?  At least we’re in good company. 

For now, I’m still learning to shrug off the “so what are you doing now?” and the “what do you do during the day?” daily spittle from others.  I keep busy with scattered projects and a few regular writing jobs.  But, I feel obligated to say yes more often, volunteer for more events and do more cooking and cleaning because I don’t have any money to eat out. 

But just when I feel like I’ve jumped from the frying pan into the fire, I get a thank you from one of my kids.  All three of them seem genuinely happy that I’m home.  My husband’s visions of gourmet dinners and matching socks flew out the window after the first week, but even he seems more relaxed knowing that I’m holding down the fort.
 
So, for now, life is good.  I'm doing my very best to appreciate the moment, and not worry about what's down the road.  I'll always want to give my kids more, but I no longer have any doubt that what they really need is me.

Tonya Kerr lives in Round Rock, TX, with her husband and three daughters