Real Talk is an action-packed, inspirational, and women-led series. The morning will include 90 minutes of short talks focusing on Resilience, Empowerment, Affirmation, and Leadership.
Resilience is one’s capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It connotes someone who is tough yet flexible. Resilience doesn’t imply that we always handle adversity well, it means that we come back—that we resume our shape and take our place in the world with new experiences and knowledge for the next part of our journey.
Empowerment refers to the process of becoming stronger and more confident. It can also refer to that act of granting power or authority. We often hear of empowerment in terms of career or life choices. Empowerment implies that there is a transfer or assumption of power from one being to another. There are stories of empowerment leading to creation, change, reinvention, and wellbeing.
Affirmation is an action that is grounded in truth and positivity. It connotes strength and requires witnesses. When someone affirms us, they shine a light on our truth in a way that we can see it and others can’t miss it. An affirmation is a chronicle of the process of shining and sharing these truths.
Leadership is an ability, position, or a state of being that influences others to do something that they would not have done absent the leader. It is a force that compels others to act based on physical, emotional, or symbolic cues. Leadership brings together while simultaneously holding the power to disrupt.
The short talks will be structured through a storytelling format where a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each. This “talk less, show more,” approach is inspired by PechaKucha.
Guest Speaker: Chef Joy Crump
Joy Crump, a Pennsylvania native, is known for crafting the seasons’ best locally-sourced ingredients into comfortably refined dishes.
A culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Crump honed her skills alongside Atlanta farm-to-table pioneers. Becoming a local entrepreneur, Crump opened her first restaurant, FOODE in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia with business partner Beth Black.
In 2014, the duo opened their second restaurant, the breakfast-centric Mercantile, also in Fredericksburg.
Crump is actively involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact Programs for Food Policy, Chef Advocacy, and Change. In September of 2018, she appeared in the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook, “Waste Not: How to Get the Most From Your Food.” The goal of the cookbook is to shine a light on the collective efforts of the food community to tackle the food waste epidemic.
She has also served on the Advisory Boards of the Monticello Heritage Harvest Festival and the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Most recently, she joined the Advisory Board of the James Beard Foundation.