A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Professional Women in Aviation, an employee business resource group for American Airlines. The conference was the first of its kind after American merged with US Airways. 

The title of the conference was "Women Fueling the Future" #tailwindsheadwinds. I was asked to speak on the topic of transforming adversity into success. The entire day was exceptional. Typically I am asked to speak to audiences involving "how to" demonstrations, so being asked to share some of my stories in regards to entrepreneurship was exciting! 

Here is a peek at the day, and thank you again American Airlines for having me! 

This is my "it is really happening face", as seen on my snapchat. Are you on snapchat yet? It is where I share behind the scenes snaps of what is happening in real time day to day. You can find me on snapchat here.  Conference name tags were made "fun" by allowing everyone to add funny tags to their official titles. Filing that idea away for future events I plan, as it served as a great icebreaker and conversation starter. 

First time to see co-branding with my personal site and FLORALgeek site. 

Rachael explaining our platform to attendees via our table at the vendor booth area, as per usual she took all these gorgeous pictures of the event.  

Proud to speak after this fierce and talented woman. Check out her website and her incredible story here. 

Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines welcoming attendees and sharing some advice. 

Interactive part of my speech where I taught the art of super hero-ing as an intro to my 3 step process to turning adversity into success. Nothing like a 3rd grade picture of yourself as a super hero on the power point slide to break the ice. LOL. 

This is Jim Butler, he is the president of AA Cargo. He and his team make sure our flowers from all over the world arrive to our florists to be designed into gorgeous arrangements. 

This lady right here, Jennifer Higginbotham. So thankful for her friendship and the invitation to speak. Jennifer and I went to college together, and have known each other for a looooong time. Currently she is a Senior Project Manager for American, and was the Co-Chair of the Speaker Committee. That plane behind us is an actual plane inside the building where training for stewardesses takes place. How cool is that? 

I was overwhelmed by the gracious gift from American Airlines for speaking. This coffee table book is all about following your dreams, and travel. Ummm hello gorgeous sentimental new addition to my coffee table! When I got home and sat down to read through it, I noticed Doug took the time to handwrite a note in the front. Swoon. Such a special gift and memory from a fantastic day. 

Have you ever spoken at an event? What are your tips for creating a compelling speech?