Session 2
Beth Perez- Interviewing for Success
Speaker Description: Beth Perez is currently the Vice President of National Partnerships at DaVita, Inc. She also serves on Project Angel Heart’s Board of Directors and the Board of the Denver Scholarship Foundation and formerly was a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Beth Perez graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in psychology and later received her MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. She has been extremely successful in her career as a woman in business and even a recipient of the 2019 Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business award.
Session Description: In this interactive session, participants will learn valuable interview techniques and participate in mock interviews. First, they will hear a brief presentation on interview etiquette, tips, and preparation from Beth Perez before then breaking off into groups for mock interviews. In these interviews, participants will be accompanied by one of the skilled mentors listed above who can answer questions and practice mock interviews. Attendees will learn skills that will help them secure a high school job, college internship, or a job in their future career.
Shelley Paulson - Yoga: Connect Your Mind, Body, and Breath
Speaker Description: Shelley Paulson is a yoga instructor based out of Broomfield, CO. She believes that yoga “will cure all, …allows us space to breath, move our bodies, and take care of ourselves so we are better off to take care of our loved ones.” She believes in the impact and the power of yoga to help mental health and improve it.
Session Description: In this session, Shelley will lead all the attendees through a yoga practice. Attendees will be able to learn yoga which helps relieve stress and keep them calm. The goal is for all attendees to leave feeling refreshed, and with a new coping mechanism to improve mental health.
Riley Judd- From Disorder to Order: My Journey from Struggling Teen to Colorado Change Maker
Speaker Description: Riley Judd is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Denver double majoring in Public Policy and Political Science and minoring in Leadership Studies, International Studies, and Spanish. Riley is an eating disorder survivor and mental health advocate. Since 2020, she has interned and worked as a legislative aide at the Colorado state legislature, where she has facilitated the passage of significant mental health legislation. Currently, she is working on a comprehensive eating disorder prevention bill — the first of its kind in the nation. After graduating in June, Riley is moving to the Batlimore-DC area, where she will continue her mental health advocacy through a career in policy and government affairs. As an alum of Broomfield High School Women's Leadership, she is honored and excited to speak at this year's conference.
Session Description:
In her session, Riley will be speaking on her own experience with an eating disorder. She will share how she got help and give advice related to recovery, body image, and self-esteem in order to inspire others potentially struggling with similar situations. She is also available to answer any questions attendees may ask anonymously. She will also be discussing an eating disorder prevention bill that she is closely working on at the Colorado State Legislature in hopes to inspire others to take action and spread awareness about eating disorders.
Kristin Jones- Mental Health Matters for all: Inside and Outside the Criminal Justice System
Speaker Description: Kristin's primary goal in life is to serve as a mental health advocate, in our country and beyond. Kristin graduated with a BA in Mass Communications from the Ohio State University many many years ago and has been blessed to be on a wild ride ever since! From healthcare sales and marketing, to being an EMT/professional ski patroller, she was then diagnosed with a serious mental illness which changed the trajectory of her life at 40 years of age. She became a mental health advocate because of her mental health battle and subsequent recovery. Her new dream is to take her mental health experiences to Belize to further the work she has been given.
Session Description: In this session Kristin Jones will be talking about her experiences with being an EMT/Professional ski patroller and what it was like in those high pressure situations and her work with mental health in the criminal justice system. She will also be sharing her story on the diagnosis with her serious mental illness how she has overcome these hardships in her life.
Dianne Maroney- From Pain to Paper: Processing Stress Through Expressive Writing
Session Description: Dianne holds a Masters Degree in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing from the University of Colorado Health Science Center. She is an international speaker, expert and thought leader in mental health, and the creator of The Imagine Project, an international nonprofit that helps youth process stress and trauma through expressive writing. Dianne is an author of several books including The Imagine Project: Empowering Kids to Rise Above Drama, Trauma, and Stress (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2018). Her first book The Imagine Project: Stories of Courage, Hope and Love (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2013) won multiple awards including the coveted Benjamin Franklin Award for nonfiction titles. Dianne's children's book, Byron the Caterpillar Who Loved to Imagine (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2017) is for kids 8 and under to help them understand the power of believing in themselves.
Johanna Walker - Courageous Speaking and Why It Matters
Speaker Description: Johanna is the fear-blasting, storytelling maven for coaches, consultants, leaders, and change-makers (also known as a public speaking coach). As a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, she’s presented for corporations, non-profits, community organizations, and the TEDx stage, helping women and girls claim the power of their voice and use it to create change in the world. She's passionate about supporting young leaders to stand in their power within their communities, make more glorious mistakes, and let their unique brand of brilliance shine. Johanna lives in Lafayette, CO, where if you’re lucky you might spot her riding her bike around town wearing wings and a red polka-dot dress.
Session Description: If you’ve ever played small because you weren’t sure if you had the “right” answer. Or if you sometimes worry that if you take a stand they’ll think you’re "bossy," this session is for you. You’ll learn practical skills to deal with those pesky nerves that plague you before public speaking, and the self-doubt demons that get in the way of you expressing your genius without apology. You’ll walk away with new skills to help you tell a powerful story, practice leadership skills, and be the girl who leads the way for others to step into their power. Plus you’ll have a whole lot of fun while doing it.
Pat Jacques - Riding Into Confidence
Speaker Description: Pat Jaques has been motorcycling for a significant portion of her life, and she has participated in other athletics such as skiing and mountain biking. She finds confidence through these activities and they enable her to move past the initial fear of trying something new. She started motorcycling at 8 and she was recruited at 14 by Yamaha. Pat has always enjoyed coaching and she has always enjoyed passing her knowledge on to others and hoping to instill confidence in them through athletics.
Session Description:
Pat helps women to find confidence through sports and explore what their bodies are capable of, and in this session, she will be diving into her methods. She wants everyone to find something they’re passionate about and something that brings them joy. In this session, Pat will be sharing her knowledge of motorcycling and discussing how athletics has helped her overcome issues in life and develop a stronger sense of confidence. Through coaching, Pat helps women find confidence through something they’re passionate about. In this session, you will get to see one of Pat's motorcycles and have the opportunity to take photos with Pat and her motorcycle!
Shannon Francis - Living Necklaces
Speaker Description:
Shannon Francis is the Executive Director of Spirit of the Sun Inc., an Indigenous woman-lead nonprofit that partners with Native American communities to help boost their resilience and guide their communities toward wellness, prosperity, and cultural revitalization. Shannon’s role as a young elder is connecting young humans to the natural world, planting seeds of transformation to instill the role of caretaking of land, earth, water, and the elements. Also, through rematriation, or bringing female energy back into balance, since the western perspective is mostly white male dominant. And finally changing the language to more of being in relation or kinship with the natural world, with the animal, and with other humans. Creating positive memories based on observation and ancestral memory, so as to override traumatic events, to help heal PTSD, stress, and anxiety from generation to generation utilizing soil and seeds.
Session Description:
In this interactive session, participants will hear about the incredibly insightful and empowering work Shannon Francis does for her indigenous community. Not only will she discuss her work, but participants will also hear about her life from her perspective. Attendees will hear about Shannon’s identity as an indigenous woman, and how that has shaped her life and the work that she does for the community around her. Then, attendees will work with Shannon to create living necklaces. Finally, the session will conclude with a Q&A in which participants will have the opportunity to ask Shannon Francis questions.