O You! 2011

O You! is a day about putting yourself first. Realizing that YOU matter. So many women struggle with this. As Suze Orman says- it’s like putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, then your kids so that you are available to them. Many Moms and women burn out, putting their happiness last, becoming paralyzed with zero energy to make necessary change.

Me. EXCITED!

Attending an Oprah show has always been a dream of mine. I never got to do that. Quite frankly, as Oprah so nicely puts it “God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself.” O You! 2011 was that bigger dream for me. Although I was part of a larger audience, getting to hear Oprah speak for most of the closing ceremony was better than anything I could have ever imagined.

Oprah live is just like watching her on TV. For my fellow Oprah fans out there, listening to Oprah speak at O You! was similar to watching the very last Oprah show with an extra dose of light heartedness and humor. The energy she exuded, which was in turn magnified by the crowd was more incredible than words could possibly explain- pure magic.

Oprah Live at O You! 2011

By attending O You! not only were you able to listen to and learn from Oprah about what she knows for sure, but you also got to learn from many talented stars at the top of their game- Dr. Oz, Gayle King, Suze Orman, Donna Brazile, Lisa Ling, Martha Beck, Nate Berkus, Peter Walsh, Bob Greene to name a few of the many great people who were there to speak.

Peter Walsh, Martha Beck, Gayle King

Suze Orman, Martha Beck, Dr. Oz, Susan Casey- Editor-in-Chief of O Magazine

In the lunch tent I saw David Venable from In the Kitchen with David on QVC. I was immediately reminded of my Grandma who would have loved that! I’m pretty sure she got most of her Christmas shopping done in the middle of the night when she turned on the TV to QVC as light to go to the bathroom.

In between sessions, I visited the Kleenex booth to meet the very lovely and talented Erica Diamond founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on the Fence. In my pure joy to meet her I forgot to ask my husband to snap a picture. Hopefully one day I’ll get the chance to see her again and do that!

What I really wish is that you all could have been there with me to share the experience. Although I know that didn’t happen this year, what I can do is share with you some of the great lessons I learned while I was there. So stay tuned for more about what I learned at O You! 2011.

Have a great day, friends!