By Ashlynn Worley

What You Need To Know About Leadercast Women

Everyone has their own definition of what a leader is.

But there is a big difference between someone who is considered a leader versus a boss.

People may describe a leader as someone who is in charge, a person who convinces others to follow their lead. While some may think of a leader as a guide or a commander.

However, a great leader inspires others by making them feel confident in order to achieve a larger goal.

Leadership comes in many shapes, forms, and styles.

Men and women from the Quincy community gathered together to learn what it takes to be a true leader.

Quincy University was one of several host sights for the second annual Leadercast Women simulcast conference broadcast live from Atlanta, Georgia.

The event cost $75 per person and included a workbook and lunch.

More than $1,000 was raised from the event and the proceeds go toward a new Leadership Fund.

Sixty-three women and even a few men filled the Hall of Fame room eager to listen to motivational speakers.

However, this was not an ordinary personal development seminar.

Nine women from very different backgrounds shared their inspiring stories and personal experiences that have shaped them into the leaders they are today. The theme surrounding the event was the idea of leading yourself first in order to better lead others.

While the core values of Leadercast Women are not gender-specific, women face unique challenges and this event encouraged growth and support. The main mission of the event is to fill the world with leaders who are worth following.

People from all across the country, and even worldwide, not only listened to the special speakers but learned from them as well. Last year, nearly 1,000 people attended the live broadcast and around 10,000 people tuned in worldwide.

Since the conference was held during Fall break, many students did not attend.

Kadiatou Bah was one of the few students at the event and she said it was very inspiring for her.

“This [Leadercast Women] is very important because it is really hard especially in our society with social media bringing us down and we even bringing ourselves down. So women need this type of support and movements that bring us back to like hey, you guys are doing well, keep at it, you are important and you matter so that is part of the reason why I am here,” Bah said.

Many members of the Quincy community ranging from bankers to city employees attended the event too.

Joi Austin works in the marketing and communications department for the Great River Economic Development Foundation for Adams County and surrounding regions. Part of her job is to bring economic vitality to the area which entails working alongside other organizations and districts.

When asked why she wanted to attend the Leadercast Women event, she said for her it was both personal and professional.

“I think engaging in things like Leadercast Women to develop that sense of sort of how your community runs and how you can be involved is really powerful because it really is the women’s turn to run things,” Austin said.

The New Leadership Fund

Quincy University hosted Leadercast Women in an effort to raise money for the new Leadership Fund.

The Office of Student Development created this account funded partially by the university and through fundraising events, like Leadercast Women.

The Leadership Fund will help students pay for activities associated with leadership, like attending conventions or bringing speakers to campus.

According to the Dean of Students Christine Tracy, details regarding how the grant application will work still have not been finalized.

QU Serves at the Abbey was another fundraiser event brought back this year to also raise money for the Leadership Fund.

QU also recently announced an All-Inclusive Tuition plan for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The university says it hopes to provide prospective students with a better educational experience by an all-inclusive tuition that will now include many university fees and cover the cost of some required material.

Things that the new tuition plan will cover include textbooks, eBooks, access codes, and other material with an author or publisher.

Not included in tuition are things like lab fees, art supplies, private music lessons, and other charges specific to a particular class or programs.

“By having everything included in tuition and having that as part of our stated policy, students will be able to use more of their outside funding to support their education here,” Tom Oliver, vice president for enrollment management, said.

A large part of the All-Inclusive Tuition is the newly created QUEST Fund, which is different than the Leadership Fund.

Starting next year, full-time students can apply for grants to help cover the cost associated with different academic opportunities.

If approved, the QUEST Fund will help students fund study abroad trips, academic research, mission trips, and other approved educational equipment and software.

For more information about the All-Inclusive Tuition plan, you can contact Tom Oliver.

For more information about the Leadership Fund, you can contact Dr. Christine Tracy.

If you have questions regarding the QUEST Fund, you can visit the QUEST Center located in the Student Success Center.

The 2018 Leadercast Women Speakers

Leadercast Women selected world-renowned female speakers to share their journeys.

The first speaker was Jess Ekstrom, the CEO of Headbands for Hope, a company she created while still going to college at North Carolina State University.

She first had the idea for her business when interning with the Make a Wish foundation.

Headbands for Hope provides one-of-a-kind headbands for children with cancer to make them feel beautiful.

Today, her company is in more than 2,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Ekstrom believes you should not have to choose between making a living and making a difference.

Marilyn Tam was the second speaker in the Leadercast Women conference.

Tam found her purpose in life at an early age, growing up as an abused and neglected child in Hong Kong.

Achieving international business and humanitarian success, Tam now helps people and organizations find their purpose.

Tam wrote a book entitled The Happiness Choice, How to Use What You’ve Got to Get What You Want.

She said unhappiness is expensive and she encourages people to examine whether you are thriving or simply surviving.

The third speaker was a Pakistan woman named Rita Bhasin who became a highly successful lawyer but was truly unhappy.

Instead of conforming to stereotypes, Bhasin decided to transform her life. She quit her corporate job and dedicating her life to helping others feel more empowered and included. Bhasin feels strongly about being an authentic, genuine person and believes leading with an authentic spirit will get you farther in life.

Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker, and author.

Headlee hammered on the importance of communication in this day and age and the lost art of listening to others.

With over 12 million views, her TEDx Talk sharing 10 ways to have a better conversation was named the number one must-watch TED Talk by Glassdoor. Headlee said a leader is only as strong as the team behind them.

The second session started with a speaker who is a two-time champion NASCAR racer from New York City.

Julia Landauer is a graduate of Stanford University and was a contestant on season 26 of Survivor.

Forbes magazine named her as a 30 Under 30 honoree in the sports division.

Besides racing, Landauer has worked with Spotify, Disney Pixar and GIRLBOSS Radio to name a few.

She strives for self-awareness as a leader and described true leadership as the ability to unlock other peoples potential.

The next speaker was a woman named Clemantine Wamariya.

She is a human rights advocate who wants to inspire others through the power and art of storytelling. Her story is a difficult one.

Born in Rwanda, Wamariya and her sister nearly escaped death living in refugee camps in 15 countries. She received no formal education before the age of 13.

Despite her hardships, Wamariya graduated from Yale University, published a memoir, and challenges others to reexamine how we interact with one another.

The last session began with an influential woman by the name of Barbara Bush, daughter of former president George W. Bush.

Bush co-founded Global Health Corps in 2009, training young leaders to improve the health of people living in poverty worldwide.

She has worked with numerous organizations and serves on many boards such as the United Nations Social Entrepreneurship Council.

Jenna Bush Hager, also a daughter of George W. Bush, was the next speaker at Leadercast Women.

Hager is the chairwoman of UNICEF’s Next Generation, an initiative dedicated to reducing the number of preventable childhood deaths around the world. Passionate about serving communities in need, she was a school teacher in Baltimore and authored a book about her experiences while traveling in third-world countries.

Last, but certainly not least, is Molly Fletcher who is a true trailblazer in every sense of the word.

As CEO of The Molly Fletcher Company, she shared unique techniques that made her one of the first female sports agents in a “mans world.” Fletcher has been called the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN during her time as president of client representation for sports and entertainment agency CSE.

She has represented some of the biggest athletes like Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz and PGA Tour golfer Matt Kuchar among others.

The participants of Leadercast walked away with a sense of empowerment and a call-to-action.

“Being here today it is like pushing me forward like dang, I really want to be something in life, I really want to be like a spokesperson, I really just want to be important. I want to share my experiences out with the world just like they [Leadercast Women speakers] are doing,” Bah said.

Leadercast Women will be hosting an event in Columbia, Missouri on January 19, 2019.

QU plans to simulcast the next Leadercast Women conference to be held on October 19, 2019.