A Day for Women

Photo courtesy of Inspiration Lab

International Women’s Day is on Wednesday; it celebrates the achievements of women and also makes a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. Celebrating women and encouraging their advancement is a similar mission for Wilmington’s Inspiration Lab.

“I have always thought this day, which is meant to celebrate women’s achievements and raise awareness about gender parity (among many other things), is aligned with the work we do in the Inspiration Lab,” says founder STEPHANIE LANIER.

The organization will host an International Women’s Day Luncheon at Wrightsville Manor starting at 11 a.m. with a coffee bar, networking, and registration, and the lunch is from noon to 1:30 p.m. The event will include featured speaker DR. CRISTY PAGE, executive dean of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

The theme of this year’s event is “Embrace Equity,” and it brings a special focus on health care.

While the event is currently sold out, there is a waitlist in case of cancelations. Lanier talks to WILMA about choosing the keynote speaker, focusing on women and health care, and more details on the event.

WILMA: Why is it important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
Lanier: “At the Inspiration Lab we haven’t hosted an event to celebrate IWD before, but we felt this would be a great year to try one and see how our community responded. IWD has been celebrated since 1911 and it is a call to action for accelerating women’s equality, which is something we can get behind all day, everyday at the Inspiration Lab.”

WILMA: How did The Inspiration lab choose Dr. Cristy Page as the keynote speaker?
Lanier: “SHARON DELANEY MCCLOUD was a speaker at our first Inspiration Lab conference and she shared an inspiring story related to her daughter’s fight with cancer and her own. She helped inspire women to advocate for their own health care. Sharon is now the director of corporate communications at UNC Health and she had been telling me about Dr. Page for quite some time; her work, her leadership, and what a great speaker she may be for an event in Wilmington. I reached out to Sharon hoping Dr. Page could speak at this event and we were thrilled she was able to fit us into her incredibly busy calendar. At the Inspiration Lab, we are always looking for inspiring speakers to share topics that are relevant, timely, and translate into taking action in the real world.”

WILMA: The topics for the keynote include leadership and health care, why is it important for women in the region to hear about this?
Lanier: “Dr. Page is a proven leader in an industry that has seen unprecedented challenges. Hearing from her real-world, real-time experiences is a wonderful opportunity for women to be able to translate her wisdom and approach to leading their own lives and organizations. Often leadership books and workshops are taught from male perspectives, but to have a woman teaching other women outside of a formal leadership program or private corporate setting, is truly special. In addition to leadership, we know women are often great at taking care of other people, but often forget to take care of themselves. Dr. Page will be able to talk about women’s health care specifically, from the lack of funding for research to equitable access to care for all women (especially those in rural areas and of different races and ethnicities) to preventative screenings for cancer such as mammograms, colonoscopies, and pap smears. We are always saying self-care isn’t selfish, it is strategic; and in order to lead well you have to take care of yourself. Health and wellness allow us to be the leaders we need to be.”

WILMA: What else can attendees expect from this event?
Lanier: “Attendees can expect to experience the magic our Inspiration Lab events are known to deliver through a combination of a welcoming community of women, beautiful details, great food, meaningful content, and with actionable takeaways. Some women will leave and take action on their own health, some will leave with the beginnings of a new business connection or friendship, and everyone can expect to leave feeling inspired and lifted up.”

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