The Steppin’ Up Women’s Leadership Conference scheduled for Jan. 23-25 at the Best Western Wesley Inn of Gig Harbor will dish up a wealth of fun, camaraderie and information for its attendees.
Sue Braaten, who co-owns the inn with her husband, Ken, said the goal of the conference is to inspire and motivate women to lead in their personal and professional lives.
The conference will feature guest speakers who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives, including keynote speaker Linda Armstrong Kelly, mother of Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour De France champion.
But the underlying purpose of the conference is one that tugs at Braaten’s heart — and just about anyone else who has viewed the world of children through her eyes. Braaten’s dream is to build a children’s foster home within the next couple of years. If the dream comes true, the home would be named the Homestead at Alder Cove after the alder trees on the property.
Braaten has first-hand experience of the difficulties foster children face, having been a volunteer guardian, or CASA, a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, for 18 years.
“During the last 10 years, I thought something needed to be done so they’re not moved so often,” Braaten said. “Kids are taken from home and then returned to their parents in six months, only to have to be removed again.
“This happens a lot and, each time, the kids come back to a new place and a new location. They’re moved from foster home to foster home, and their things get lost.”
Having a permanent place to return to would lessen the stress these children face, she said.
“If an adoption fails, or whatever happens, they can come to one place they’re familiar with instead of always having a new home and a new set of rules,” Braaten said.
Armstrong Kelly also can speak on the level of youth hardships.
“I was 16 when I got pregnant and had Lance at 17,” she said. “I got married and thought I would lead a life like Donna Reed. I just thought you were going to wear your pearls, and that was it.”
But that wasn’t it. She said her 18-year-old husband wasn’t ready to play a fatherhood role.
“He was a young man, not ready to settle down,” she said. “Nobody’s ready to settle down at that age. We were divorced before Lance was 2 years old. Lance never knew him.”
Armstrong Kelly struggled to pay the rent, medical bills or to stay afloat.
“I did not have a soft place to land,” she said. “I had a number of jobs — you really don’t know what you want to do at that age. I had to be the supporter of my son.”
While Armstrong Kelly was a junior in high school, she worked, threw newspapers until 3 a.m., then got up to go to school the next day. She did everything she could to make ends meet, and she thinks her son turned out pretty well.
“He did everything fast,” she said. “He walked at nine months and was potty trained at 18 months. He was in a wonderful Christian day care and, being an only child, he got a lot of attention.”
Armstrong Kelly worked her way up to a “corner office” and wrote a book, “No Mountain High Enough — Raising Lance, Raising Me.”
She now spends most of her time attending speaking engagements.
“I would call myself a motivational and inspirational speaker to change people’s lives,” she said. “What I want to do is help by asking myself, ‘What can I give back? How can I benefit someone else?’ That’s been my motto.”
Armstrong Kelly said everyone can motivate others just by being a good example themselves.
“You have no idea the influence you have if you just take that time to show and tell,” she said. “When I was working, I met so many wonderful women who just had the best attitude about life.
“I believe in focusing on the positive, not the negative. It’s all about who you surround yourself with. It’s not the why, it’s the how and the what.”
Armstrong Kelly admits the one event that truly rocked her world was when her son was diagnosed with cancer.
“When Lance was diagnosed, that shook me to my knees,” she said. “I was so afraid. It was something I had no ability to fix. It was terrible. I just thought, ‘I cannot give up. I’ve got to be strong for him.’ I learned the importance of keeping and maintaining a good attitude.”
Things went from bad to worse, Armstrong Kelly said.
“But you don’t want to just sit and wait. It’s what you do with the information and how you handle it that makes a difference. That’s what I’ll talk about at the conference. It’s a simple statement, and it’s something that I will stress to people: There’s somebody that has walked in their shoes. People are going to leave once they hear me speak and say, ‘Wow.’ Just by sharing my personal testimonies and real-life experiences, they can walk out with a great attitude.”
The conference also will host local business owners like Linda Thomas, CEO at Wilcox Farms, Mardel Grundberg of Cutters Point at Uptown Gig Harbor and Melanie Knox of Balanced Body.
Thomas said she got involved because she wanted to support the foster home.
“I get involved in things that are around children,” she said. “It’s because of incidents that usually end with someone winding up in a foster home. When people end up in a crisis, they often change directions and end up in a bad place.
“In this economy, what resources you have available will make the difference between a bad future and a good one,” she added. “When they hear the speakers, they’ll learn that everyone has had ‘those days.’ ”
Pilates instructor Nicole Comella plans to return for her second year at the Steppin’ Up conference and will offer Pilates tips between conferences.
“It was incredible last year,” she said. “I learned things about health and how to manage my health with insurance. The conference was really well received. There was good music, good food, and I met a lot of people.
“The hotel is adorable,” Comella added. “I’m really looking forward to it."
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