All my life I have had a love of "c" words: cashmere, comfort, city, creativity, champagne. This remains true, although now I find myself gravitating toward words like connect, collaborate and community. I love these words because what I know for sure is that we can't do it alone. Whatever that "thing" is that we feel compelled to do -- that thing that allows purpose to crystallize -- we need each other to truly get it done.
It is with these things in mind that I prepare for the 2nd Annual WIE Symposium, a two-day event that I am honored to co-host with Arianna Huffington and Sarah Brown to support the White Ribbon Alliance. It's an opportunity to bring together empowered women from all walks of life to pass on the kernels of wisdom that have helped them navigate their path to a place of success and impact. The WIE Symposium is a germination period -- seeds will be planted with the potential to bear powerful fruit. It is an opportunity for women to rally around the causes they care most about, regardless of whether that cause is maternal health, education, sex trafficking, culture preservation, health care, environment, nutrition or any other number of extremely important issues.
The real challenge is making a commitment to do something and finding support along the way. My friend and fellow WIE Panelist, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, fiercely believes that women must get off the sidelines; that "more women need to embrace the fact that their voice matters and that they can make a difference." I couldn't agree more.
We know that the women who attend this event are going to leave renewed and motivated. We know that women are going to want to take action, to come together and create change. We also know that they need a community of support. And we are prepared to help.
Arianna and I are going to create an online community for women to take action and commit to moving forward with the causes they care about. It will be a place of collaboration, support, accountability, conversation and encouragement. It will be a home for inspired connections and innovative solutions.
So, women of the WIE, I look forward to sharing this experience with you. Together, we are going to create something beautiful.