Cathy and Merry Go on a Field Trip

Ever wonder how a conference can ignite a spark of transformation? In Episode 258 of Late Boomers, Cathy and Merry dive into our exhilarating experience at the eWomen Network ICON Conference in Dallas, Texas. This wasn't just any event—it was a powerhouse of inspiration and innovation, thanks to the visionary efforts of Sandra and Kim Yancey, and a jaw-dropping AI presentation by Brianna Day.

Join us as we unpack the game-changing strategies we discovered, including the importance of visibility, connection, and content pillars. Discover how AI can be your best ally in streamlining tasks and boosting your business focus. Plus, hear about the incredible community spirit and the unforgettable hospitality we experienced, like my personal ride to Asian Mint!

Tune in to hear how these insights are shaping our podcast journey and why embracing reinvention is key at any life stage. Catch us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or ewnpodcastnetwork.com. Let’s grow together!

Thank you for listening. Please check out @lateboomers on Instagram and our website lateboomers.us. If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to watch it or listen to more of our episodes, you will find Late Boomers on your favorite podcast platform and on our new YouTube Late Boomers Podcast Channel. We hope we have inspired you and we look forward to your becoming a member of our Late Boomers family of subscribers.

Episode Transcript

Merry (00:01):
This is the EWN Podcast Network.

Cathy (00:14):
Welcome to late boomers, our podcast guide to creating
your third act with style,power, and impact. Hi. I'm Cathy
Worthington.

Merry (00:24):
And I'm Merry Elkins. Join us as we bring you
conversations with successful

Cathy (00:34):
world. Everyone has a story, and we'll take you along
for the ride on each interview,recounting the journey our
guests have taken to get wherethey are, inspiring you to
create your own path to success.Let's get started.
Welcome back to the late boomers podcast, everyone. I'm

(00:55):
Cathy Worthington, and we're soglad you're here with us today
because, honestly, Merry and Ijust had the most incredible
experience, and we cannot waitto share it with you.

Merry (01:05):
That's so true, Cathy. I'm Merry Elkins, and we just
got back from Dallas, Texaswhere we attended the eWomen
Network ICON Conference. Andwow. Talk about powerful,
inspiring. It was totally gamechanging.

Cathy (01:21):
Yeah. ICON is one of the premier events for women
entrepreneurs and men too whowanna make an impact in business
and in life. And let us tellyou, Mary, didn't it feel like
we were walking into a room fullof possibility the moment we
arrived?

Merry (01:38):
Oh, yeah.

Cathy (01:39):
From the

Merry (01:39):
first second we walked through those doors, the energy,
it was electric. I really feltit. And there's something about
being surrounded by a thousandof like minded motivated people
who are all there to learn andgrow and connect.

Cathy (01:55):
And let's just take a moment to acknowledge the
incredible visionaries behindthis conference. Sandra Yancey
and Kim Yancey, the founders ofEWomen Network, and the fabulous
Brianna Day who brought hercreative genius to the table.

Merry (02:11):
Oh, that is so true. Sandra is this powerhouse of
wisdom and heart, And Kim bringsso much heart and passion and
energy to everything. AndBrianna, talk about the future
and next level creativity. Herpresentation on AI was mind
blowing. Yeah.
And the way the event wasdesigned, the speakers they

(02:32):
curated, it was all reallyintentional and impactful.

Cathy (02:36):
Totally agree. And the thing is, Mary, this wasn't just
a conference where you sit andtake notes and then forget about
it later. No. This waspractical, actionable, and
inspiring.

Merry (02:47):
Yeah. It really was for us. And Mhmm. You know, Kathy,
you and I have been doing thispodcast for a while now, and we
all love what we do, but we'realways looking for ways to grow
and reach more people and make abigger impact. And at ICON, we
learn strategies that are goingto help us do just that.

Cathy (03:06):
I know, Mary. Can you believe we've been doing this
for five years now?

Merry (03:10):
I guess. Yeah. One of

Cathy (03:13):
the key things we took away though was about visibility
and connection. How to make sureyour podcast or any business is
not just out there floating inspace, but actually reaching the
people who need it.

Merry (03:25):
That's true. And one of the speakers really emphasized
the power of clarifying yourmessage and making sure your
brand voice is consistent acrossevery platform.

Cathy (03:35):
And they gave some amazing tools for that. Remember
when they talked about creatingcontent pillars? That was kind
of a light bulb moment for me.

Merry (03:44):
Well, I I remember that, and I thought, what's a content
pillar? And so if you'relistening and thinking, what's a
content pillar? Basically, it'schoosing a few key topics that
always that you always come backto so the audience knows exactly
what to expect from you. And itcreates trust, and it creates
consistency.

Cathy (04:04):
Yeah. And for us, that means we're gonna be even more
intentional about our themes.Empowerment, reinvention,
business growth, and living lifefully as a late boomer.

Merry (04:16):
Yeah. Oh, and another big takeaway, Remember that
collaboration over competitionis one thing they talked about?
That really touched me. Therewere so many women who were
there supporting each other,brainstorming on ways to work
together, and lifting each otherup. And that sense of community,

(04:37):
that was truly incredible.

Cathy (04:39):
And let me tell you, if enthusiasm could be bottled,
we'd be millionaires right nowselling it on the street. Right?
Oh, I don't know. We werepractically glowing with
motivation.

Merry (04:50):
Yeah. I know. That's so true. I think the two of us
could have powered Texas for aweek on all that energy we
brought home. Mhmm.
Yeah. Oh, and Kathy, we have totalk about the speakers
competition. Those people wereout of this world sensational.

Cathy (05:08):
I know. Every single one of them could have a TED Talk
tomorrow. The passion, wow, youcould feel it in your bones. It
was like American Idol, but forbusiness brilliance and nobody
thankfully got voted off, Iwould have cried. Although, it
was sad that somebody had to winand somebody had to lose.

Merry (05:26):
Oh, yeah. That's so true because they were all really,
really great. And one of thoseamazing speakers just happens to
own one of the best restaurantsin Dallas called Asian Mint.

Cathy (05:36):
Yeah. And after the competition, a group invited me
to dinner there, which soundedfabulous. Only one little
problem, I couldn't find themafter the session.

Merry (05:47):
Well, that's kind of you, Kathy.

Cathy (05:49):
I know. Totally. So I'm standing there like a lost
puppy, and then get this, thechef herself, the owner, offers
to drive me to her ownrestaurant in Highland Park. I
mean, talk about VIP treatment,Mary.

Merry (06:03):
Yeah. Only you, Kathy, would score a chauffeur service
from a celebrity chef. How wasthe food?

Cathy (06:11):
Oh, the food was fantastic. Worth getting lost
for. Yeah. Honestly, I'd getlost again just for that
delicious Thai cuisine. Oh, wow.
Yeah. So but let's talk aboutone of the most exciting things
we learned about. AI, artificialintelligence, because Brianna
Day's presentation on that wasfabulous. And wow. Did that open

(06:32):
our eyes?

Merry (06:33):
Yeah. That really did. I mean, we've all heard of AI.
Right? It's everywhere.
But to see how it can be used inbusiness and in growing a
podcast like ours was mindblowing.

Cathy (06:45):
Yeah. They had experts explaining how AI can help with
content creation, social mediascheduling, writing emails, even
brainstorming topics forpodcasts. It's like having a
virtual assistant who workstwenty four seven.

Merry (07:00):
Oh, no kidding. And here's the thing. For a lot of
us baby boomers, AI might notmight feel a little
intimidating, not comfortable.It might feel like, oh, that's
just for techies. But what theymade so clear at ICON is that
it's just a tool.
AI is a tool that can help saveus time and help us focus on the
parts of our business that wereally love.

Cathy (07:23):
And, Mary, I loved when they said AI won't replace you,
but someone who knows how to useAI might. That was such a wake
up call for me.

Merry (07:33):
Yeah. That really hit home. Because all we need to
stay relevant and adapt to newtechnology is AI. And the great
news is it's not that hard.

Cathy (07:45):
Yes. We even learned about tools that can help us
repurpose our podcast episodesinto blog posts, social media
clips, newsletters, all with thehelp of AI. That means more
people can discover our contentwithout us working eighty hours
a week.

Merry (08:01):
Oh, we know that one. And if you're listening and you're
thinking about starting abusiness or growing one you
already have, learning to use AIis no longer optional. It's
essential.

Cathy (08:14):
Yeah. For sure. And you know what else stood out for me?
The stories we heard. The womenwho shared their journeys.
Some of them had facedincredible challenges and still
created thriving businesses.

Merry (08:28):
Oh, that's so true. And the connections for me, that was
really powerful. And it remindedme that reinvention is possible
at any stage of life. And you'renever too old, and it's never
too late to make your dreamshappen.

Cathy (08:45):
And that's what we're all about here on late boomers,
celebrating reinvention andpossibility. This conference was
a perfect reflection of that.

Merry (08:54):
Oh, and the networking. Yeah. We met so many amazing
people who will probably have asfuture guests on the show and as
friends. And that's anothergreat thing. When you put
yourself in a room,opportunities come your way.

Cathy (09:10):
Yeah. So to Sandra and Kim Yancey and to Brianna Day,
thank you for creating an eventthat truly changes lives.

Merry (09:17):
And thank you for reminding us that when women and
men come together with a sharedpurpose, amazing things happen.

Cathy (09:26):
And to all of you listening, if you've ever
thought about attending an eventlike this, do it. Invest in
yourself. The growth, the ideas,the community is priceless.

Merry (09:36):
And stay tuned because we're going to be implementing
so much of what we learned, andwe can't wait to share that
journey with you.

Cathy (09:43):
Absolutely. This is just the beginning of a whole new
level for the late boomerspodcast.

Merry (09:48):
So stick with us. Share this episode with a friend who
needs some inspiration. And asalways, thank you for being part
of our community.

Cathy (09:58):
See you next time on late boomers.

Merry (10:01):
Yes. See you next time.

Cathy (10:13):
Thank you for joining us on late boomers, the podcast
that is your guide to creating athird act with style, power, and
impact. Please visit our websiteand get in touch us at
lateboomers.us. If you wouldlike to listen to or download
other episodes of late boomers,go to ewnpodcastnetwork.com.

Merry (10:36):
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple
Podcast, and most other majorpodcast sites. We hope you make
use of the wisdom you've gainedhere and that you enjoy a
successful third act with yourown style, power, and impact.