CONVERSATIONS WITH COCA-COLA

On Monday and Tuesday (June 13^th and 14^th) I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with some amazing women

(first two images courtesy of Dresden Shumaker)

(photo by Cate O’Malley)

Originally I had planned to skip this event (is that being too honest?) due to the fact that I am sick of going to “conferences” or anything similar and walking away with nothing beneficial. I’m so happy to say that this was totally not the case with this event! Seriously, I don’t know where to start when it comes to talking about things I learned, the inspiration, and all of the positive energy a girl can dream of being surrounded with! It all started with a presentation with Elisa (one of the cofounders of blogher)

Then we were put into groups where we made vision boards

It’s amazing how such a simple project can make a huge impact on your life! After the projects we listened to a presentation by a McDonald’s representative which gave us insight on how McDonald’s is all about sustainability and how they encourage healthy eating habits by introducing new and healthier options to their menu.

After lunch, another panel of people was brought in. This time is it was a group of women in leadership positions for Coca-Cola! This was probably the biggest treat of the entire event. To be able to listen to how these women live positive lives and work for a huge cooperation (Coca-Cola) and lift other women up as they climb! Don’t you love that last part? “Lift up as you climb” was a quote by one of the women and I couldn’t agree more. In a world where I see more and more of what I call the crabs in the barrel syndrome where everyone is trying to get out and not help each other, it was refreshing to hear that.

(Photo by Cate O’Malley)

(My choice of beverage? An ice cold Shirley Temple! image by Cate O’Malley)

I really could go on and on with a step by step run down of what happened at “Conversations with Coke” event, but I’ll spare you and just tell you what I learned:

*Coke is a brand that is all about positivity. No matter how much people try to go against them with negative jabs about their products, they continue to thrive and help communities.

(I miss these ladies! Photo by Dresden Shumaker)

*The women in leadership at Coca-Cola are truly that…LEADERS! They encourage one another, they are serious about their position, and they work hard at their jobs and maintaining a healthy home life.

*One of Coca-Cola’s biggest Allies, McDonald’s, shares Coke’s vision of living positively and being healthy and they push really hard to get those messages across.

*Coke is not a business that take, take, and take. Did you know that their bottling facilities make sure that their waste water goes back to the environment clean? And that they make it possible for other countries such as Africa to have clean drinking water for their schools?

*I also learned that Coke owns a lot of brands such as Minute Maid, Simply (lemonade, orange juice, apple juice), Fuze, etc

Overall, this was a fun and enlightening experience. After being surrounded by soda for two days and listening to how great Coke is as a company, I’m going to start purchasing a little more for my household. I figure that would be my way of contributing to their generosity when it comes to giving back!