A few weekends ago, I attended the Empower event with Lisa Trujillo. It was absolutely amazing and the concept behind the event is one that I truly believe we need more of. The night went so fast but was a complete blast! Below I will recap over the main parts of the night, and let you know a little more about why I attended the event.
Where it was.
The event was at the Woolshed in Yallah. If you are from the Illawarra you will know the iconic venue that has held so many concerts and events over the years.
I remember my dad used to play in a band (he is a drummer) at the old Woolshed when I was really little. Walking into the Woolshed was so surreal for me. Especially when I think back to when I was little running around while dad played.
Who I went with.
When I went to the Mama tribe event, I went solo. It was so good for me but also very nerve wracking not knowing ANYONE walking into an event. I was planning to do the same this time round, but when I mentioned to some friends that I was going they jumped at the chance too!
A friend from work (pre-olivia days!) and a mum from our mums group came with me. It was so good to sit and chat, hang out and experience everything with two other like minded mums! Especially two mums that don’t drink as well. It made the night much more enjoyable and relaxed.
The dress code
On the event details the dress code was to wear whatever you felt comfortable wearing. I wore a cocktail dress that I had in the wardrobe. It was floral and pretty. It made me feel comfortable and dressy.
A lot of the women wore dresses, and some were very flashy too! Everyone looked so beautiful!
There were a lot of bright colours, florals and sparkles! I was very surprised that there was not two of the same outfit either!
First thoughts walking into the venue.
“WHOA!” Which was really what I was thinking the whole night.
Before the actual event began we sat in the cafe area (part of the venue which is really large) and had a (non-alcoholic) drink.
We sat and talked about mum life and things that have been going on. A photographer asked if we wanted a photo outside on the decking. We walked out and my first thoughts… “OH MY GOSH!” The sunset was absolutely breathtaking.
Recap of the nights activities
When we were in the cafe area there was a grazing table. I am not a huge fan of these, but man was there some yummy food on there!
Lots of cheeses, meats, sausage rolls, bread sticks… so much food!
There was a beautiful musician playing and singing as everyone sat and talked.
Just before the doors opened there was some popcorn and fairyfloss (which I didn’t get to, and planned to get some a little later only to find it had been packed up! sad face)
A Little bit of Meka was set up in the cafe area doing a painting that would later be part of the lucky door prizes. The amazing scene painting was absolutely stunning! She is so talented! And to paint in front of such a huge audience… Amazing!
When the doors opened, we walked in to a table full of goodie bags (see below for more details) and a gorgeous welcome sign from “The Marker” with
‘All the women who are independent throw your hands up in the air!’
In the main area of the woolshed there was several long wooden tables set up for everyone to sit at. They were decorated beautifully with vases of flowers, and candles. Each table setting had a small poster of an empowering saying from “The marker.” Mine said “Find a way or make one!”
There was a massive lot of balloons hung up, and fairy lights everywhere. It made the atmosphere so relaxed and beautiful. The colour theme was very classy with pinks, dark red, creams and black. The stylists Selene Styling did such an amazing job!
There was a DJ playing with a massive fluroscent “Let’s Party” sign behind him. It looked amazing when the low lights.
The effect of it all was absolutely amazing. Walking in to the event the first thought I had was "WOW" and that just kept going as I looked around.
Every space of the Woolshed had been used in some way, whether it be a photo wall, or an "experience" or a light wall.
It was just gorgeous!
On one side of the venue was a donut wall (*YUM*) and a balloon wall that was set up for taking photos. It looked absolutely amazing!
There was an artist painting table (Pinot and picasso Wollongong) and an energy healer which I didn’t get to go to as it was always so busy and popular.
The main stage was set up with a huge screen showing footage of Lisa’s events and past activities. There was two beautiful vintage looking arm chairs set up with a table with flowers. It all looked so elegant!
Find a way or make one!
The speakers
The one thing I really liked about the speakers was that they each were very different in their talk, but also varied in their delivery. Two sat down and had a “Q&A” with Lisa, where as the other two were like Keynote speakers that stood and talked to the audience.
Each speaker brought a different story, but all talked about empowerment and what it has meant to them in their story.
Tamara Meyer
When Tamara was doing her Q&A with Lisa, all I could think was I could totally imagine sitting at a restaurant talking to Tamara about life, fitness and health. She was so honest and funny. Tamara talked about her journey from dancer to heavy weight lifter. She talked about the mental toll dancing was taking on her, to change her body to suit the need of the industry. Whereas in weight lifting she has the “right body” and has made the passion and lifestyle fit into her life. She discussed what it meant to be part of competitions and the importance of looking after herself when she is competing.
Liz O’Brien
The first keynote type speaker was Liz, and she spoke about being a leader.
She spoke so beautifully and was super honest. She talked about dealing with conflict and the importance of a leader when it comes to these situations.
Liz has come from various roles, and this was reflected in her talk with the experiences she had dealt with.
She talked about the importance of empowerment through leadership, and how a good leader is fundamental for this to occur.
Lauren Darlington
This was the part of the night I had been waiting for! Lauren and I have been following each other on social media after the RUOK day walk I did with Anytime Fitness (see prior blog post on the event.)
We have messaged several times and I have learnt so many life lessons already from her “teachings” on instagram.
Her knowledge and uplifting approach to life, even though she has gone through so many tough struggles in her life, shows why she was chosen to speak about empowerment!
She talked about her life experiences with mental illness with trauma of self harm and prostitution, and her family life. The part that really sat with me was when she said “Everyone has a story. I want to hear more stories” Her positive attitude was contagious!
Alexa Towersey
The last speaker for the night was Alexa, and Oh my gosh was she a powerful speaker!
She talked about her childhood and family life, and having to deal with her mother’s depression. She spoke about her fathers alcohol addiction and how through both experiences it shaped who she was.
Her quote was “with great strength comes positive thoughts.” (or something along those lines) The part of her talk that made nearly every single person in the room cry was when she talked about needing to have surgery on her hip due to having an old persons hip in a young persons body.
She went into the surgery with positive attitude of coming out bionic! When she woke up hours later in ICU, with friends crying at her bedside she was told she had died temporarily on the table due to a reaction to the anti-biodics. Alexa was so powerful in the way she spoke, and she made me feel so empowered to go out and make others understand the importance of being a good person!
The whole night went by so fast and it was super fun! I left feeling so "Empowered" about things, and my mind was racing with ideas on how to improve on myself, and help those around me. I feel so motivated to be more physical and it has inspired me to start stepping out of my comfort zone and doing weights at the gym! SAY WHAT?!
One of the most amazing parts of the night was meeting someone I have longed to meet for so long. Lauren Darlington! It was so cool to meet someone I have talked to via social media and have been following for awhile now. I was standing with a celebrity! It was amazing! I am pretty sure I came across as a bubbling school girl because I was so nervous and excited at the same time!
The Goodie Bag
One of the best things about going to an event is the amazing goodie bag at the end. This goodie bag...OH MY GOSH!
I could make a massive list of what was in this bag, but I think you would loose track of things.
There were vouchers, samples and amazing offers with discounts on services or products.
One of my favourite goodies was a pair of Glamour Glasses. These glasses are amazing! They are for use with screens protecting eyes from Blue Light and strain that comes from long periods of screen use. I have been wearing them since and they are great!
If you are interested in attending a similar event to this one, keep an eye out on Lisa's website: https://lisatrujilloactivewear.com/
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