New Bedford, MA—Is stress impeding your productivity at work? Is work interfering with your personal relationships? If so, don’t despair! There are solutions, and they can be found at the Sixth Annual SouthCoast Women’s Forum to be held at Rachel’s Lakeside, 950 State Road (Rte. 6), N. Dartmouth, on Tuesday, April 29th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The SouthCoast Women’s Forum is a day to network, re-energize, learn, and celebrate women in business. This year’s forum will focus on an integrated approach to achieving success in the workplace, at home, and in all other areas of life.
“When we are not happy or productive in one area of life, it often has repercussions in the other areas. The more we can integrate all aspects of our lives and learn to better manage our schedules and our stress levels, the happier, more energetic, and more productive we will be,” said June Goguen, Women’s Forum committee chair.

To that end, the Forum will include two 45-minute workshops geared toward helping women in business find balance, increase vitality, and gain momentum in their quest for success.

The first workshop of the day, “Getting Unstuck and Creating the Life You Really Want,” will be presented by Katie Gilfeather, an organizational consultant and trainer in the areas of workplace culture, employee assistance, leadership development, team-building, and conflict resolution. She is the founder and principal of Outlook EAP, Inc., an employee assistance services provider. Most importantly, Katie is a single mother who has found some degree of sanity while rearing two teenagers and running a busy business!

“Virtually every one of us has experienced being ‘stuck’—that awful feeling that comes when we know we want to make a change but either can’t figure out how to start or can’t sustain our motivation through the change process,” according to Ms. Gilfeather, who holds a Master’s degree in social work and is certified as a business coach, mediator, and employee assistance professional.

“When we feel stuck, we develop a belief in the power of ‘if only’ – if only I had a better job, made more money, lost weight, had the right partner… Women can be especially vulnerable to this mindset because we tend to put others’ needs before our own,” she added.

Using the Wheel of Life, a popular coaching tool, workshop attendees will take a snapshot of their current life’s satisfaction, identify areas that they want to change, and develop a strategy for how to mobilize the resources in their lives to achieve their heart’s desire now. Attendees should be prepared to have their motivation fired up, as they learn just how powerful the principle of synergy can be when they begin to make even a small change!
The second workshop at the Women’s Forum will be a “Stress Buster Relaxation Session—An Oasis in a Hectic Day,” presented by Olivia H. Miller of OHMWorks, Inc., author of seven exercise, wellness, and spirituality card decks, including The Yoga Deck, The Stretch Deck, and The Chakra Deck, as well as Essential Yoga, a comprehensive guide to the practice of hatha yoga.
 
Participants in this workshop will learn how to de-stress and feel energized and rejuvenated through deep breathing, gentle stretching, and meditation exercises that can be performed standing or sitting in the workplace, at home, or while traveling in order to create “an oasis” in the middle of a hectic day. The results, according to Ms. Miller, are increased energy levels, decreased stress and tension, improved concentration, reduced physical and mental fatigue, and enhanced overall wellness.

Both workshops are included in the price of admission to the Women’s Forum, which is $35 for Chamber members and $45 for non-members, and also includes table-top exhibits geared toward busy professional women, a full luncheon, a keynote presentation by Michelle Yozzo Drake, author of the upcoming book From the Kitchen to the Corner Office: Mom’s Wisdom on Leadership!, and a special after-lunch group activity encouraging collaborative dialogue and knowledge-sharing. The day will conclude with an informal social networking mixer featuring a cash bar and cheese and crackers.

“This year’s expanded schedule will create new and better opportunities for everyone at the Women’s Forum,” said Ms. Goguen. “Compared to past years, there will be more time to visit exhibits, more time to network, and more time to re-energize. After all that’s the whole point of the day!,” she added.
For more information, to register to attend, or to inquiry about exhibitor opportunities at the Women’s Forum, please call the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce by April 23. To register online, visit www.newbedfordchamber.com.  The Sixth Annual SouthCoast Women’s Forum is sponsored by the Bridgewater Savings Bank and SEED Corporation.

The New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit business association based in the City of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Chartered in 1885, the Chamber serves nearly 1,000 member businesses of all sizes from virtually all industries in the ten communities of New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, Wareham, and Westport. The Chamber supports and promotes the local business community through leadership in public advocacy, education, networking, information, and community development.

New Bedford Chamber of Commerce

With over 1,000 member business organizations, the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce provides leadership on issues and activities important to our economy and quality of life.

The Chamber's mission is to serve the interests of member businesses while advocating business advancement, economic growth and job creation for the benefit of New Bedford and the SouthCoast region of Massachusetts.

The Chamber's website is located at:
http://www.newbedfordchamber.com

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