A Rainy Day with Disney On-The-Road!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Conference on the Road Tour in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For those unfamiliar with what, exactly, that is - let me explain. Each year Disney holds a small, exclusive conference for hand selected moms that are active in social media. Usually this would be bloggers and the like. To be honest, I was unaware of it until someone sent me a link saying the On-The-Road tour would be landing near me, and I should apply for a spot. I did, not sure if I would even be selected. I mean, I'm a food blogger and while I have a large family and we love Disney movies, Disneyland, and of course Disney games and toys.. well, my blog isn't really devoted to Disney (some of the bloggers I met though, have entire blogs devoted to EVERYTHING Disney! Imagine that!) You can imagine my surprise when I got the email with the official invitation to attend!

This event was held at the beautiful Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. It was a strange week in weather for the Bay Area, pouring rain and storming! The Claremont Hotel reminded me of a castle, which is probably why Disney decided to hold their SF Bay Area leg of their tour there, it ties in well with the castles and impressive architecture that Disney has become known for.

Once inside (and dry) we met many other bloggers in the lobby of the hotel, where we each got our lanyards and our bags that were gifted to us for being a guest. Very sweet! I met many more Bay Area bloggers that I've known online for a while, as well as some that traveled from out of town, or even out of state! After a bit of socializing the doors opened and in we went to experience a few hours of Disney magic!

Once inside the meeting room, we all found a seat and socialized a bit more as breakfast was served. In the center of each table was adorable Monsters University plush toys that would be raffled off later throughout the day, as well as luggage, a Britax car seat, and Disney themed Build-A-Bears.

We were served miniature quiche, along with fresh fruit and plenty of coffee, tea, and refreshments. Also at each place setting was a cute rice krispies treat in the shape of Mickey's ears. Of course the sweet tooth in me would catch a photo of that, and not the rest of the meal!

Once we all got situated a bit, we were introduced to our host for the day, Maria Bailey from Mom Talk Radio and CEO of BSM Media. Maria went on to speak about her experience with Moms in social media and what a powerful voice we lend to brands and companies. She also had a few words of encouragement to the moms that experience "mom guilt" when we work so hard, as we all do! One of my favorite quotes, "There is no room for guilt in your career!" and also "When you're following you passion, your kids pick that up!" Oh yes, these both spoke to me!

Next up we were shown the various Disney parks, activities, vacations, cruises, and a plethora of other ways to be active and a part of Disney. I hadn't even realized there was so much! Of course, it excited me and I was already beginning to plan our next family vacation, to Disney of course!

Mindee Doney of Juicebox Consulting, who co-created Boogie Wipes®, was the keynote speaker. Me, having come into this whole mini-conference with an open mind and no expectations ended up in tears. Mindee spoke about the rise of her career and fall of her personal life and the journey from there. Mindee had a way of speaking to us, where it felt like we were talking to a friend. I was very moved and think of Mindee's story daily in my own life since. It's refreshing to receive that kind of honesty and experience the lessons that come along with creating a business that just takes off. One of my favorite quotes from Mindee that made the whole room laugh, "Motherhood is a government conspiracy!" and on being (and feeling) overworked - "People's expectations of you and your work are YOUR FAULT." These lessons can be applied in many ways to many different kinds of careers, and sometimes you just have to remind yourself to enjoy the moments of your lives too. 

After we gave Mindee a standing ovation (yes, she was that good) we were presented a panel of moms in different stages of their own businesses that had all received grants from the Huggies Mom Inspired Program.  Erin Kelly - inventor of Hulabye Happy Changer, Alma Moussa - inventor of Babee Covee, and Romy Taormina - inventor of Psi Bands. Each of these women discussed their a-ha moments of how they came up with their own products, the inception, marketing, funding and getting the product to the masses. While each of their journeys were different, they all shared the common bond of being a mother, a businesswoman and an entrepreneur. The session was informative and engaging, and it inspired me to want to develop my own products!

Throughout the morning the raffles were ongoing, there were a lot of winners as well as fun and laughter. I even won a Snow White Build-A-Bear (who my 13 year old daughter cuddles up with every night!) It was an exciting, emotional and informative morning that was jam-packed with information. Once the speakers were done we got to meet with them and chat, take photos and give hugs.

I'm glad I went with no expectations, not sure what I would get out of it because never would I have guessed it would be such an emotional experience! I walked away with a new appreciation for mom entrepreneurs (or Mom-preneurs as we call it), as well as new ideas on how to better balance my own time as a mother, wife, and food blogger. I also had a lot of fun with my fellow bloggers, seeing the familiar faces and friends as well as meeting some new ones! I would definitely recommend heading to this On-The-Road conference if it ever comes near your way, and I would love to participate in future Disney events as well!

My good friend Sabz, from the Eclectic Grab Bag was in attendance as well!

Mindee and I. I was so thrilled to be able to give her a great, big hug! Seriously, great speaker!