You got involved with The Women’s Conference in 2004. What caught your attention and what inspired you to get so involved? The conference has been a project of the California first lady’s office for years. Before Arnold took office, it was a government relations project. I looked at it and saw something I could grow and turn into the world’s premier forum for women. I saw that it didn’t make money, and wanted to change that – I wanted it to support the advocacy work I care about.
Since my background is in journalism, I approached the conference as if it were a TV show with a beginning, middle and end. Since I’m an author, I wanted to bring in authors. Since I’m a journalist, I wanted to bring in journalists.
Since I’m a music fan, I wanted it to end with a concert. Since I’m passionate about community service, I founded the Minerva program and made it a cornerstone of the conference.
This year’s theme is Remarkable Lives. Remarkable Legacies. How did you come up with this idea? And what do you think your legacy will be? I was born into a huge legacy myself. People always talk to me about my legacy, so I’ve thought a lot about it. Legacies shouldn’t just be for well-known people or big companies – everyone is capable of having and creating a legacy. I wanted to encourage others to think about what they’re always mentioning to me.
I hope that my most successful legacy will be my kids. I hope that I’ll have raised four well-adjusted children who know that they are loved and feel that they are loved for who they are, and not for what they do.
