Weekend Reads: Mom 2.0 Edition

I’m sitting at the airport exhilarated and completely exhausted from a weekend well spent reconnecting with friends and meeting new ones, being inspired, and taking a leap of faith to do something that I never thought I would this weekend. Being partially sponsored by Safely.com to attend, my time spent at Mom 2.0 was work despite what my Instagram stream may suggest and any pre-conference press by the Wall Street Journal.

Mom 2.0 is billed as a conference that features “an open conversation between moms and marketers” and unlike other conferences I’ve attended in the past, I was impressed by the pre-conference research that brands did to know who I was and what I did. They were involved in the conference Facebook page prior to attending, listening to conversations and contributing. They read our contributions to the conference Pinterest page where we had the opportunity to share who we were. They emailed and tweeted us ahead of time just to say hi but in an unobtrusive way. They were ok with me letting them know that their products weren’t a great fit for me or the sites I contribute to but were genuinely appreciative of the conversation and time I took to stop by to learn. It was refreshing to say the least.

Before it’s time to board this flight home, here are some of the companies that made the biggest impression on me during the conference and 3 ways you can learn more and interact with some of the brands who were there.

Dove. Did you know that 6 in 10 girls stop doing what they love because of anxiety about how they look? 4 never stop and it is for this reason that Dove’s newest campaign, Girls Unstoppable, celebrates empowered girls. These girls are our daughters, nieces, classmates, and fellow competitors on sports team. Chances are you know an unstoppable girl.

Dove’s partnerships with Girls Inc. Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Girls Scouts of America ensure that this message will be shared far and wide. I also love how they’re partnering with Scholastic to share this message with teachers in classrooms throughout the country.

Dove also created meaningful engagement between conference attendees and local young women by bringing us together at Mom 2.0. Yesterday Dove transported girls to the hotel to meet with attendees who served as mentors. According to conference participant, Glennia Campbell of The Silent I, the girls she talked with had an incredible internal confidence. To her, it was the best part of the conference.

What can you do? Read more about Girls Unstoppable and if you’re so inclined, share your story. Katie Couric is looking for a mother daughter team to share their story on an upcoming show!

Shot at Life. Vaccinations in the United States is such a controversial topic but on a global scale, they are saving children’s lives from diseases and giving them a shot at life. 1 child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that can be prevented with a vaccine. 1 in 5 children lack access to life-saving immunizations that can keep them healthy. The cost to vaccinate a child to protect them from a lifetime of disease only costs $20.

I have been a fan of Shot at Life since hearing about the campaign a couple of years ago but am constantly reminded about the work that needs to be done from my good friend and Shot at Life champion, Elena Sonnino, who spoke on a panel with Amanda Peet (yes, THAT Amanda Peet!), the incredible stories shared by individuals like U.S. Paralympian and polio survivor, Dennis Ogbe, and those shared through social media by fellow bloggers through campaigns like Blogust.

What can you do? Take some time to learn more about Shot at Life and how you can get involved to spread the word or become an advocate.

HLN. I admit to not knowing much about HLN before Mom 2.0. I had heard of the show Raising America but got to know the executive producers and host, Kyra Phillips, more through the helpful tips that were shared in Get Noticed by HLN and then later through my Shark Tank opportunity where I had the chance to pitch them. What impressed me most about HLN is how open they were to the blogging community and their use of social media not only to source possible experts for their show but also for show ideas. Oh, and that Shark Tank opportunity? My pitch went well and Kyra and her team green lit me to be a guest on a future show talking about technology from a parenting perspective so we’ll see!

What can you do? Have a story idea or might you be a great contributor for an upcoming episode? Follow HLN Raising America on Facebook or tag and follow tweets with #RaisingAmerica