International Women’s Day Celebration in Bala Cynwyd

By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

 Gathering of Women with Businesses and Aspirations

All around the world, International Women’s Day (March 8th) represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.

I was invited to attend a Women’s Day event at the Cynwyd Station Cafe and Tea Room, an idyllic coffee house located on the platform of the Septa Cynwyd Train Station (375 Conshohocken State Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004). Cynwyd Station Cafe (coming up on its one year anniversary on St. Patty’s Day) is run by Sadie, who seems as though she’s found her calling.  She’s got that easy-going, I’ve got my business under-control, so I can enjoy hosting type vibe. Sadie invites small groups to meet for free at the station, rents the space to profit organizations, and organizes several events a month -which have been added to Tinsel & Tine’s Calendar of Events.

Sadie & Deb

This Women’s Day event was co-organized by two energetic women:

Ellen Sue Spicer-Jacobson has authored several books on eating better. She’s also a journalist/blogger – here’s a little excerpt of her writing from a site called Women’s Voices for Change: Redefining Life After 40:

At the brink of boy-meets-girl myself, I watched with fascination and bemusement as my grandmother and Alex “dated.” I was there on one delicious night when MeMe was waiting for Alex to call for her. She was still in her underwear. That, in her generation, meant corset, garters, stockings, and a full slip.

 

Alex rang the bell. My grandmother assumed he was downstairs in the apartment house’s foyer. She planned to stick her head out the door to call down that she’d be ready in a few minutes. But when she opened the door, there was Alex. She screamed, put her hands to her face, ran into the bedroom…READ MORE

 And 

Krista Nelson Life Coach and author of Create Your Dream Life in 6 Steps or Less. Her business is called Just Get it Done Now. I was invited to the event by Krista, who was introduced to me by a mutual friend, Emma Tramble a Data and Targeting Manager Specialist, who I met through a Reelblack Film Event.  Isn’t it fun how connections are formed!

The answer should never be no, but so often it is. Get off the No track and on to the Yes train.

People who coach with me grow their incomes, expand their markets, improve their relationships and their health. Let’s get moving on your personal transformation right now. READ MORE

The theme for this International Women’s Day gathering was Micro-Entrepreneurship, so every woman in the room got a chance to talk about their business or their dreams for their business/passionate pursuit.  I can’t feature everyone who attended in one post, but here’s a sampling of the attendees… 

Lft to Rt: Krista Nelson, Carol Seelaus, Diane Moore, Liz Brendze

Carol Seelaus is Conquering Clutter – Your “before” can become a
“happily ever after.”

When we work together to create space in your home, garage, or office, we create an individualized program to purge, rearrange and maintain order. All services are confidential, non-judgmental (and fun!) READ MORE 

Diane Moore is all about environmentally-friendly nutrition and living – Moore Better Food: I work with women of all ages who want to achieve optimal health and well-being. I show you how you can eat real food without skimping, achieve your optimal weight, and have lasting energy throughout your day. Through knowledge I’ve gained over years working … READ MORE

Liz Brendze is a lawyer with her own practice specializing in Elder Care Law – Helping Main Line Area Seniors and Their Loved Ones Make Informed Choices: As aging changes your needs or those of a family member, you may be called upon to make difficult choices. Along with medical, financial, and emotional factors to be considered, there are numerous, frequently modified laws and regulations which complicate any decision in this area. Liz Brendze Elder Law can guide you through the legal labyrinth, so you can avoid unintended consequences and make the best choices available for your unique circumstances.

 

Lf to Rt:  Joanna J. Smith, Saharah Nelson, Suruchi Lall-Keenheel, Rorie Still, Judy Smith Bogad

Joanna J. Smith is the author of a children’s book Star Gazer The Horse Who Loved History. Joanna’s goal for the book is to introduce young readers to the idea of world peace.

Saharah Nelson – came to support her sister Krista, but she’s also a champion for women of domestic abuse. She was inspired by one of the attendees, Crystal Rose who’d written a book chronicling her journey of escape from an abusive situation called Until You Walk in My Shoes.

Suruchi Lall-Keenheel – Assistant Principal of KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School its mission, to develop the character, knowledge, and skills of our students so they will succeed in top-quality high schools, college, and the competitive world beyond.

Rorie Still – Screenwriter and author of  “Flashbang: Sci-Fi Stories That Will Blow Your Mind!” it is a compilation of six science-fiction short stories, with two poems, and three soundtracks. Three of the stories in the book, “Hatched”, “Bird Gone Bust”, and “Birds of a Feather” are interconnected; the first two being character origin stories and the last being an adventure story that includes both of the characters introduced in “Hatched” and “Bird Gone Bust”… READ MORE
Rori (@rorstill) and I later connected via twitter to talk Black Tribbles podcast/radio program which is dedicated to being black and loving science fiction.  I got to be a guest host on Black Tribbles in January (click for T&T post).

Judy Smith Bogad – Former ESPN Sports Producer, now freelance Sports Broadcasting Media Producer. Is starting a class just for fun to teach a little sports 101 for anyone (like me) who has never mastered even the basic rules and core understanding of Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer etc… She’s starting this Wednesday, March 11, 2015 6:30 -8pm with March Madness – Learn the Brackets! held at Cynwyd Station Cafe – $10 at the door.

Melvina Davis is a Premier Designs Jewelry Representative – gorgeous costume jewelry with flair and versatility.  Shop online or host a Premier party – READ MORE

We ended the event on an uplifting note with a KINDNESS CIRCLE lead by Judith Trustone the International Founder and Director of Global Kindness Revolution. What is a Kindnesss Circle? Working at an energy level, participants are guided as they sit in silence in a circle, focusing on the Light of Kindness while each takes a brief turn in the center, where they are zapped with the energy of Kindness.  Okay, this sounds hookey, but it felt really good and it’s a wonderful mindset to share globally.  Basically, I would categorize it as guided group meditation, but the idea is to focus collected energy where light is needed.  Our energy was being directed to the women at Muncy State Prison, who were told we’d be holding a Kindness Circle in their honor at 4pm. Now, it’s hard to tell if they received our energy, but we all felt our circle was infused with a palpable light.

Kindness Circle held 3/7/2015 in honor of Women incarcerated at Muncy State Prison

I never celebrated International Women’s Day before, I don’t even think I’d heard of it; but now I look forward to doing something like this again next March.

POST UPDATE: 4/8/15: This event spawned a desire to have an on-going Women’s Empowerment group called NOWE (Network of Women Entrepreneurs) The mission is to empower, educate and enlighten enterprising women of all ages to create, produce and/or sell products and services that are sustainable for the planet and will bring a better standard of living for themselves, their families and their communities.
Learn more about becoming a
NOWE Member