It took me 4 airports, 1 hotel room, and 3 flights before I made it home from BlogHer 2010  – but I’m optimistic. BlogHer 2010 gave me an interesting opportunity to rethink the way I look at the world – my world in particular – and I find it looks a bit brighter than it did before this experience, despite my frustration with the overall personality defects of airport employees.

I made the choice to go to BlogHer 2010 with only 7 days to put the whole thing together, which either makes me crazy or extremely efficient. Dano Baby, a company committed to creating safe and healthy toys made the process easier by jumping in as a sponsor despite the fact that we gave them almost no notice. Dano Baby impressed us with their pvc free bath ducks at last year’s ABC Kids Expo in Vegas since we have a child who is obsessed with all things Ducks. We checked out their booth at Toy Fair in NYC and were shocked to learn that this great little family owned company is based only minutes from where we live in San Diego. In addition to their line of safe toys and teethers (which are bpa free, lead free, and pvc free) Dano Baby is coming out with a great ipad app. for preschoolers that we’re excited to share with you in a #MomStorm Twitter party soon.

The BlogHer Experience

I had never attended BlogHer before so I went in with no expectations. The one thing I had heard over and over again from seasoned BlogHer attendees is that you get out of it what you want. If you put thousands of women together there’s bound to be drama. The speaker during the newbie breakfast stated that BlogHer is not high school, but we all know that there are always going to be some people who take high school with them no matter where they are. Before leaving for NYC, I decided that I had left high school behind long ago and I wasn’t going to get carried away worrying about who got the most swag (because honestly, I have enough clutter in my house), who got invited to more parties, and who’s blog get’s more traffic. I was there to move forward from wherever I happened to be, regardless of where that put me in comparison with every one else attending.

I suspect because I wasn’t looking for it, I didn’t find any drama. What I found instead was friendship, community, and empowerment.

BlogHer Empowerment

BlogHer was an empowering experience for me in so many ways, starting with the very fact that I made the trip on my own. I got married young and had kids fairly quickly. While I may have been an independent college student, those years were long behind me and still came with their own limitations based on my age and financial dependence. I went from being a college student straight to being a mom, and while I don’t regret that at all, it left little opportunity to be an independent adult. Traveling to NYC for BlogHer made me feel like a full fledged adult for the first time in my life. I was scared of getting lost in NYC (heck, I was scared of getting lost while still in the airport). I was scared of meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment. I also had all the standard fears that never really seem to leave us – would people like me, would I be good enough, would I put my shoes on the right feet?

It’s easy to be plagued by self-doubt but I decided early on that I was going to jump in as I am and let my BlogHer experience be whatever it was going to be. Stacey from Tree Root and Twig took me in the first night. We laughed about the fact that we hopped in bed and said “Nice to meet you. Good night” and had a blast getting to know each other through the course of the conference. Linda from Baby to Be TV helped me put the whole trip together by finding me a conference ticket and letting me room with her for a few nights of the conference. I loved hearing her perspective as a vlogger and she gave me the confidence I need to at least try to put myself in front of the camera more often and try not to worry as much that people won’t be able to look past the fact that I can’t seem to think and talk at the same time.

I took risks I don’t normally take. I danced with a McDonald’s bag on my head. I jumped into groups that from the outside, looked like they had no room for me. I crossed paths with a rat while walking in Times Square. I discovered how to be brave again.

One of the recurring themes I heard at BlogHer was that we each have a voice and, even if it is a quiet one, it is important. Life has bulldozed me over the past few years and I find that although I’m still blogging, I have lost my voice. Too often I let my fear control my writing and I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s a hard habit to break but it’s a challenge I want to take on.

During the closing keynote, Gloria Feldt said something that stuck with me through all the chaos of trying to get home. She said, “We don’t have to do everything. If we all do something, then we are making progress”. I over-think things sometimes. If you are a mom, you probably do too. Fear can be paralyzing. Worrying about what people will think of something you say or what they will think of you as a person, can prevent you from taking any action at all. If there’s one thing that I want to take away from BlogHer, it’s that. I can let go of my fear to take a step, even if it’s a small one, and make a difference.

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Related posts:

1. BlogHer Ready or Not Here I Come
2. 2009 Recap and 2010 Goals
3. BlogHer Ticket Giveaway Winner
4. How to Budget for BlogHer
5. What Should you Really Bring to BlogHer?