Her Conference LA INSPIRE

Jun 7

I know it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I wanted to sit down and write out my experience at Her Conference LA INSPIRE this past weekend.

After a week of flight troubles (if you follow me on IG Stories, you know what I’m talking about), I flew to LA to attend Her Conference with InfluenceHer Collective — the influencer network for Her Campus.

For those of you who don’t know what InfluenceHer Collective is, or you're looking to be a part of it, it is a great way to network and be a part of an empowering community made up of boss babes all across the nation. Through this network, you will be able to connect with fellow content creators, brands, opportunities to attend events, and even score your dream collaboration!

[ You can read my feature on Her Campus HERE, and my Q&A on IHC HERE ]

I filmed a YouTube vlog from the weekend — still in the editing process — that I’m excited to share with you guys. I’ve been working on getting better with video content, so it really means a lot to hear feedback from you — what you think of my videos, what you want to see, etc.

If you’re not following me on my YouTube channel yet, please SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive notifications whenever I post a new video!

A couple of takeaways from the Conference were:

1) “It doesn’t matter what the outcome is if you’re not enjoying yourself along the way.”

— Jessica Alba opened the Conference with an inspiring message that focused on why she started Honest Beauty, and her journey into the acting industry in LA. She mentioned lots of hardships along the way, but what really stood out to me was where her mindset was at. It wasn’t about the situations she was in — everyone is going through something: good or bad — but how you respond and react to what you are going through is a reflection of your character. It shows who you are, and to me, that sticks out more than anything else about a person.

I liked her key point on “Don’t be comfortable. Don’t surround yourself with things that are easy” — and it’s true. Focusing on those things only deter you from your goal of what you want to accomplish. If you continue to stay comfortable where you are, you will never grow. You won't know what else is out there for you.

2) "Really dig deep to figure out what makes YOU stand out. There are ways for all of us to stand out -- WORK ON YOURSELF. What can YOU work on and how can YOU add value to other people's lives?"
— Jaci Marie is and has been one of my favorite inspirational girls on Instagram. I told her in person at the Conference how raw and real she is on our IG Stories, and how motivating it is to watch someone the same age killin' it with the content. Her message at the Conference really inspired me. She mentioned how there's so many people trying to start YouTube channels, blogs, etc., and having a mindset that it is too saturated and it'll never work out for you is the wrong approach. I love that she emphasized really digging deep to figure out what makes YOU stand out and focusing on that.

There are days when I feel overwhelmed and pressured with having to post top-tier content. To stay ON at all times. The pressure comes from that voice inside my head telling me I need to be on my A-game at all times. Be better, do better, perform better, look better.

Even though it's a struggle I still deal with, in some ways, I have gotten better.
I've grown stronger as a person because I've been able to focus on myself.
I'm constantly working on finding that balance, and there are ways to approach it so you don't feel that kind of pressure. For starters, I try to focus on my own content, and no one else's. If competition or people trigger you, don't scroll down your feed. Don't watch other people's videos. Don't allow that to consume you to the point where you get frustrated, stressed, and want to give up.

Once I block everything else out -- the noise, the distractions -- I remind myself of why I started and God's purpose for me. That's when I start to feel like things will be okay, and that these dips are there to make the fall easier for the next time it happens.

It’s truly an honor to accept this award. I want to thank the InfluenceHer Collective team and everyone for supported / voted for selecting me as the 2018 InfluenceHer of the Year.

It was so great reunited with my NC friends at the Conference.

[ Ali (left) and Elizabeth (right) ]

I was finally able to meet the sweetest girl Summer Lee -- even though our time together was short and brief, she is someone who is genuine and relatable. It honestly felt like we had known each other for years!

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