The Power of Us: Watermark Conference for Women

PICTURED ABOVE: Serena Williams, Gloria Steinem and Brené Brown. Photos by Marla Aufmuth / Getty Images for the Watermark Conference for Women.

Few moments are as breathtaking as walking into a grand ballroom filled with 7,500 women and men, gathered together to experience and celebrate The Power of Us.

With speakers including Serena Williams, Gloria Steinem and Brené Brown, the Feb. 22 Watermark Conference for Women energized the San Jose Convention Center for the fifth year in a row, this time selling out within 30 minutes of tickets going on sale.

Connection, motivation, networking, inspiration and professional development – it was all there, all day. And it was an absolute success for everyone.

I was delighted to begin the morning with a private program for VMware, where I invited associates to introduce themselves and describe what they do. Cathy Handzel, wearing her fabulous hat, was my first volunteer. Within a minute, we’d repositioned her description to include a valuable metric – how much revenue she and her team bring to the company.

“Charmaine gave me something that has become so valuable in how to present what I do,” Cathy says. “I now have an engaging way to show the bottomline value that my team and I deliver. I shared my new value statement with my boss and my boss's boss. They both loved it. Thank you.”

My pleasure, Cathy.

I was beyond thrilled that my afternoon session, How to Be Heard: Effective Communication for Career Advancement, attracted a standing-room only crowd. It was truly magical and transforming – for my audience and for me.

Among the feedback:

“Charmaine, you looked amazing, moved with grace and conviction, sounded engaging and your lessons helped us level-up our own messaging. You are one-of-a-kind wonderful. Thank you!”
– Michele Nur, Graphic Designur

“Seriously my favorite speaker at the conference!”
– Anita Hothur, Supplier Quality Engineer

“Your session was amazing! I felt so empowered and I already put your strategies into practice in our Monday staff meeting. Thank you!
– Deborah K., University of San Francisco

“Wonderful! I highly recommend any workshop that Charmaine is hosting!”
– Staci Bush, Gilead Sciences

“You amaze!"
– David W. Kim, Gilead Sciences

Thank you, Watermark Conference, for this wonderful opportunity – and for the invitation to speak at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women on Oct. 2 and the Texas Conference for Women on Oct. 24 of this year. If any of you have friends or colleagues in Philadelphia and/or Austin, please encourage them to attend – and I’d be delighted if you’d introduce them to me via email or LinkedIn beforehand.

For more on the conference, I recommend Simma Lieberman’s recap and this piece from NBC News. Photos and videos are on the Watermark Conference for Women website.

Wishing you joy and unfathomable success,

Charmaine McClarie

PS: As always, I am here to support your success. I have a new calendar app on my website. If you'd like to chat, please choose an option that works best for you.