Gather, grow, go – how three Sonoma women are spreading the message
Anne Marie Sebastiani, Piper Abodeely and Michelle Dale have backgrounds in training, coaching, leadership, business development and healthy living. Early last year, they kicked around an idea for a conference for women to learn about those topics, from experts, together in one place, with wine and socializing along the way.
The idea came to fruition with the G3 Women’s Conference in November (the three g’s: Gather, Grow, Go), with another, also based at Sonoma’s MacArthur Place, coming up March 11-13. In June, they take it on the road for a conference in Vail.
“It’s about how to move forward, to be a success, inside and out,” Abodeely said. “Life doesn’t have to be all about a career.”
The G3 agenda, with speakers covering topics from fashion and nutrition to money and time management, arms women of all ages with the tools to live a better, more balanced life.
Acquaintances when the planning began, the three entrepreneurs now are close friends, their skill sets complimentary. They hold jobs and have kids (eight total), so the live/work balance – “controlling your life, not letting it control you” — has always been at the forefront.
As the first G3 Women’s Conference took shape, and the workload grew, the experience began to parallel the goal of the event. Organization. Working smart. Talking down the inner critic. And living in the moment to get the most out of the experience.
“The energy was incredible,” Dale said of the conference, which attracted 60 attendees. “We walked away so charged up.”
It’s not a professional networking setting, Dale explained, though that happens, but more importantly a chance for women to connect on a personal level. “Getting women together like this, the barriers come down. There’s a real connection, and sense of empowerment.”
The bond and trust, Abodeely agreed, was palpable. “You see people really come together.”
Sandee McReady said she attended with a friend thinking she’d spend a nice couple of days at a lovely spa, but “Wow. I came away with a renewed enthusiasm for my career and a whole host of new, very supportive friends.”
Since last spring, one of the partners made a major career move, two have had babies and one lost her mother. The goal, challenge and message: move forward, and share the experience. Grow and go.
“Every day is a work in progress,” said Abodeely.
Find out more at G3sonoma.com
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