Friday, I attended the WFYI Women, Wisdom, and Wellness event at the Indianapolis JW Marriott.

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As the event started in the morning around 9am I was unsure of what to expect, but I was quickly greeted by friendly faces and directed to the check in table where I received a goody bag, banana, and a program.

After checking in, I had plenty of time to walk around to various booths that were at the event such as Green Bean Delivery, Easley Winery, and Urology of Indiana.  Each booth had a little take away to stuff in my goody bag, which was a nice perk of visiting each station!

The event also offered free health screenings to the women in attendance, which I thought was pretty cool!

Another great thing about this event were the women attending.  There were women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities that all had at least one thing in common…we cared about our health!  This made it instantly easy to talk to just about anyone.  I felt like I was able to meet a lot of amazing women through this event.

After browsing through the vendor booths, it was time to head into the JW Grand Ballroom for our first event of the day.

Dr. Nancy Branyas, a local cardiologist, and Julie Schnieders, a local women’s nurse practitioner both got the day started by discussing the importance of eating for a healthy heart and living a heart healthy lifestyle.

Not only was their opening discussion informative, but it was so entertaining and hilarious!

They discussed the ideas of being aware of what we are putting into our bodies, reading packaged food labels, eating the rainbow, and knowing your numbers (BMI, HDL, LDL, and Blood Pressure).

All of the discussion on food made me pretty hungry.  Luckily, they had KIND bars sitting out for us to grab as a quick snack!  YUM!

Once we were done with the event opening, we were able to attend two breakout sessions.  Each session lasted for about an hour, and the topics covered ranged from Zumba to Pelvic Floor Health.

I opted for a session called “Be Well Daily.”

This session was led by Katie Thomas, a wellness coach.  Her topic did not cover nutrition or exercise specifically but truly focused on WHOLE body wellness.  Her discussion was honestly my favorite part of the day.

She explained that we really have a need for women’s wellness in Indianapolis, and she is planning on starting a challenge group in October for women to connect with each other and reconnect with themselves.

A big focus of her discussion was the importance of being selfish and taking care of ourselves.  The things she had us think about were not crazy and off the wall…and that is what I liked about it!  She had us do simple things like think about our ideal day, envision positive things that we want in our lives, and take deep breaths to clear our minds.  It was so helpful!  At least for me.

One thought that really resonated with me was when she said “It’s not about being perfect or making the RIGHT choice, it’s about being OK with making the better choice in that moment.”

For me, this was so important to hear, because even though I enjoy my healthy lifestyle I can often get caught up in the thought of trying to be perfect with each decision I make.

Katie’s presentation was motivating, inspiring, and helpful for me even though it only lasted an hour 🙂

After the break out sessions, it was time for lunch.  We headed back into the ballroom and it had been completely transformed!  The tables were set with gorgeous flower arrangements and it felt kind of like a wedding reception.

The meal started with a delicious caprese salad.

As we were eating, our keynote speaker, Linda Larsen, gave her discussion on being Super Heroes as we try to “do it all”.  She was absolutely hilarious as she told stories, explained situations, and helped us to realize that being happy is a contagious decision that we have to make.

As we enjoyed her presentation, we also enjoyed the rest of our lunch.  I opted for the vegetarian meal which was a portobello mushroom, eggplant, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and rice.  I have never been a mushroom fan, but this mushroom was absolutely delicious and I ate it all!! Go figure 😉

Overall, this event was fun, educational, and inspiring.  I am so thankful that WFYI asked me to attend this event.  It is a great place to meet other women who are interested in being healthy mentally, physically, and nutritionally.  I can’t wait to attend next year!

Disclaimer:  WFYI invited me to this event to provide social media coverage and a blog review.  All opinions are my own.