CELEBRATING THE HERE & NOW

Celebrating Here & Now the

Christy Demetrakis to Deliver Keynote Address at the Women’s Initiative 13th Annual Breakfast

By Tabari McCoy Scooter Media

THE PAST IS OVER, AND TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED, so all we have is the now – and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Women’s Initiative is hosting an event to help you start celebrating it.

“Celebrate Your Now” will serve as the theme of the NKY Chamber Women’s Initiative 13th Annual Breakfast, sponsored by PNC. Christy Demetrakis will deliver the keynote address, which will incorporate her message of using “faith to conquer fear” in one’s personal and professional life. Demetrakis is currently the North America Sales Capability Director for Procter & Gamble, where she designs and delivers industry awardwinning sales training curriculums. A 25-plus year veteran of the corporate world, she has worked for several Fortune 500 companies including Ralston Purina, Coors Brewing Company and The Gillette Company. She is also the founder and president of The Empowered Speaker, a company that coaches people to increase their faith, increase their confidence, and conquer their fears both professionally and personally. Read along and discover Demetrakis’ insights on celebrating your now, overcoming fear and why events like the Women’s Initiative Annual Breakfast are important for the enrichment of the Northern Kentucky community.

Q: How does the idea of conquering a fear, whether it be personal or professional, relate to the idea of “celebrating your now?”

Demetrakis: The thing about fear is that it does a couple of things: Fear causes you to look backwards and not forward; it also paralyzes you in the now. As we think about fear and how people respond to it, it’s typically an emotion that is based on events that have happened to individuals in the past. They respond to fear based on what they think is going to happen in the future and things that may never actually happen.

The whole idea of ‘celebrating your now’ is to not allow either the past or future to be what controls you, doing so absolutely impacts your now. It’s hard to celebrate that now if you're stuck living in both worlds.

Q: Given the events that have been going on now for almost two years with the pandemic, how are you recommending women overcome their fears in a private and/or personal sense with so much uncertainty around?

Demetrakis: First, you must recognize the season of your life that you are in because what works for others at this point in life may not be the thing for you right now. You must be able to embrace where you are so that you don't get caught up in all the things you’re not doing or all the things you think you should be doing which can lead to anxiety.

The other piece? Eliminate the thought of ‘I want to get back to normal.’ There is no “normal.” We must get to the place where we can say, 'This is the reality that we are currently in and realize that's probably going to change again tomorrow.' The whole idea of life is changing. Despite the challenges from the last two years, some people have a wonderful perspective. There are those who have been grateful for this divine window of time. What you have chosen to do with this time is up to you … Leading up to March 2020 when the world literally shut down, people at any given time, especially women, were probably thinking – ‘Oh my gosh, I need to take my kids here, I need to get groceries, I need to schedule this appointment, (etc.).’ We had all these things that we had to do that we didn't have time to do. Suddenly, people had time. Those who recognized it for what it was, which was a gift, used it. They embraced a different perspective. I don’t want to discount the terrible things that have happened to many, many people. This is not to suggest that, but it is all perspective … It all starts in your mind. What matters is your perspective and what you’ve done in this window of time because windows don’t stay open forever.

Q: The NKY Chamber has three imperatives it is focused on, one of which is building an inclusive business community. As a black female business owner in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region who also works for a major corporation, how vital is it to have individuals like yourself that can come in and offer perspectives that previously may not have been heard and/or embraced?

Demetrakis: Is it important? Yes, it is. In corporate America – I’ve worked for several companies although I’ve been with P&G the longest – we say this all the time: It is hard for people to aspire to something when they don’t see anybody who looks like them in that space. It's critically important to have a woman upfront at an organization, showcasing that they can be successful as an entrepreneur in corporate America. I’m multi-faceted. No matter what you might initially think when you see me as a black woman at the grocery store or walking down the street, you get a different perspective.

The same goes for the people in the audience. Sometimes, we like to pigeonhole ourselves into a space; we don’t have to be in just one space. It is very freeing and empowering for women to know that they don’t have to just be a mom or career woman. I can be a spiritual being. I can be an entrepreneur. I can be a fantastic wife. I can be all these things. Perhaps not all equally well at the same time because those are a lot of priorities – but it is good for people to see that. I applaud the NKY Chamber for making a specific effort to say, ‘This is the type of person I want to put in front of the organization to kick off the new year.’

We talk about celebrating your now, but we must get to the place where we can act. To get there, we must address the things that have gotten us to our current state. NKY

2022 Women’s Initiative 13th Annual Breakfast

The Women’s Initiative (WI) Annual Breakfast, sponsored by PNC, takes place Thursday, February 3, 8:30 - 10:00 AM, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

Tickets are $65 for NKY Chamber members, $60 for NKYP Event Pass Holders and $85 for future members.

The WI Annual Breakfast will also include the presentation of the Debbie Simpson Spirit of Achievement Award. Melissa Lutz of Champlin Architecture has been named the 2022 honoree. Melissa has been an engaged volunteer with the NKY Chamber for over 25 years and an active member of the Women’s Initiative from the inception, serving in a wide variety of roles across many different committees.

Family Nurturing Center, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the cycle of child abuse by promoting individual wellbeing and healthy family relationships, has been named the 2022 WI Annual Breakfast Nonprofit Recipient. The organization’s services and programs focus on the education, prevention and treatment of all forms of child abuse and neglect. Attendees are encouraged to support Family Nurturing Center with a donation.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.nkychamber.com/WIBreakfast22.

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