Motivational speakers top women’s conference lineup

Renaissance woman, author, speaker, life coach, lawyer and community leader, Merrilee Boyack will keynote USU Eastern’s 38th Annual Women’s Conference on Friday, March 24 in the a.m., while Josie Solomon, a dynamic, entertaining motivational speaker who says, “no mind nor heart is every beyond repair” will conclude the day-long conference.
Boyack combines humor, stories and emotion in her speeches. Her first speech was about overcoming fear – something she worked hard to master.
She writes of family with her best-selling book, “The Parenting Breakthrough,” containing practical advice of raising four sons and followed by “Strangling Your Husband is NOT an option,” combining humor with lessons learned in her marriage.
A popular speaker at “Time Out for Women” and BYU’s Education Week, she has given presentations throughout the United States. Her most recent books include “52 Weeks of Fun Family Service,” “Toss the Guilt and Catch the Joy,” and “In Trying Times Just Keep Trying” which chronicles her experience with breast cancer.
Boyack is politically involved having served as a council member in the City of Poway and precinct chair in Lehi. She created community programs for leadership development, care for the homeless and a city-wide emergency preparedness.
Truly a renaissance woman – wife, mother, grandmother, lawyer, speaker, author, life coach and community leader, she has been reborn in the process. Boyack is truly a teacher who inspires and motivates others to do good and be good plus is committed to the rebirth of others.
Solomon will be joined by her husband Brighton in the afternoon keynote. In her bio, she writes, “Wherever she goes she strives to be the person who brings light to others through her darkness. She is real, candid and open, allowing her to connect with each individual in the audience. The audience will laugh, they may cry but they will each walk away with new found purpose and motivation to be brave and choose joy.
At 19, Josie was diagnosed with major depression and later was diagnosed with bipolar II. Her daily struggle with the darkness of a broken mind stole her chance at a normal life.
Realizing that she did not have to live a normal life to do something great, Josie left her home and family on an adventure to discover joy at 24. She lived out of her car for 100 days and traveled across the country interviewing over 600 people asking them all “What gets you out of bed?”
She has since traveled to Europe, Asia and Africa in her mission to discover, spread and create joy. This summer she is heading to Peru to continue her 444 Project.
Sharing her inspiring story of finding joy and light while she herself lives in crippling darkness, helps bring great understanding and awareness to all the different challenges people face. She turned her trials into a story of victory even though she is still much in the midst of thick, abounding darkness.
“You do not have to be healed to help” and that “No mind or heart is beyond repair,” she writes. Her story is one of triumph, light and hope.
She asks, why we are waiting for our own miracle, we can become anothers?
The conference includes 15 workshops including Danielle Howa Pendergrass speaking on “Women’s Health Issues;” Mary Anne Romney on “Stress-Free Living;” Dennis Worwood on “Indigenous Gardening in Southeastern Utah;” Gina Hansen on “Meals in a Jar, Healthy Eating;” Kris Sanford on “Broken Necks to Breaking Records;” DEA agent Matt Fairbanks on “Fighting the Opiate Addiction;” Neal Peacock on “Body Language, Leadership;” Malarie/Luke Matsuda on “Natural Living, Organic Living;” and Merrilee Boyack on “I’m So Busy, I Don’t Have Time for That.”
The conference is in USU Eastern’s Jennifer Leavitt Student Center from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., cost is $25, or $15 for lunch only. The Outstanding Woman of Southeastern Utah will be announced during the lunch.
Register and pay online for the women’s conference at www.usueastern.edu/womensconference