When 500 women gather in one space to discuss leadership, magic is inevitable. This was the scene at Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference where the overriding theme focused on The Resilient Leader. The result: panels and keynotes flowing with mic-dropping insights every resilient female leader needs.

“Our theme this year was ‘The Resilient Leader,’” explains Emerald Archer, director of Mount Saint Mary’s Center for the Advancement of Women. “We have learned that resilience is a key factor in becoming an effective, sustainable leader. By learning resilience, it’s easier to stay grounded, bounce back from failures, and be prepared to harness the kind of successes that propel careers forward.”

I had the honor of serving on the Image in the Age of Instagram panel moderated by Beverly Jackson, VP, Social Portfolio Strategy for MGM Resorts International. My fellow panelists included Maggie Chieffo of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, “Dear White People” producer Ann Le and #WeAllGrow Latina Network founder Ana L. Flores.

Fortunately, I also got to check out other panels and speakers during the event. These accomplished women shared their thoughts on legacy, inclusion, conscious community building, mindfulness and more with the riveted attendees at MSMU. Here are 6 vital insights every resilient female leader needs to keep thriving.

Breathe

It may sound simple, but executive communications coach LeeAundra Keany quickly pointed out that most women aren’t breathing properly. Our breath center is the belly, not the chest. In order to speak effectively at conferences or in the boardroom, breathing is key to staying focused, confident and energized. If your chest is expanding and contracting as you breath in and out, redirect to breathing from your belly.

Claim Your Wins

When it’s time to get your credit where your credit is due, “Remember to frame your language around the things you’ve earned. Not what you deserve.” says Karen Chong. As the director of audience & influencer engagement at AARP, Karen knows how to launch initiatives that redefine conversations. Her advice on rising into your legacy and making sure your achievements are acknowledged/rewarded is to focus your conversation on accomplishment and detail your wins.

Alignment

When leadership opportunities come your way, before you dive in, ask, “What are you taking on and where are you trying to go? Do they align?” asserts Cristina Mancini Jones. Cristina helms the newly formed Technology & Creative Strategy group at 20th Century Fox. As a master at bridging the creative aspects of technology and storytelling, she has constant opportunity for growth. She highlights that opportunities are truly valuable when they align with your truth and the living legacy you are building.

Collaboration Over Competition

“It’s not a competition, it’s a collaboration.” Keisha Nix shared as she discussed building conscious communities. Keisha serves as executive director of the Lakers Youth Foundation where she works to provide opportunity youth in our communities with positive experiences and resources in education, health and wellness and sports. Helping kids recognize and develop their full potential is a team effort. Resilient leaders have to find alliances over adversaries.

Invest in Your Future

While you’re staying focused on the legacy, don’t forget about the currency and your financial needs. Instead of investing in expensive handbags, Valerie Mosley of Valmo Ventures urges to look at the S&P 500 and, “Start investing now.” Valerie specializes in advising, partnering with or investing in companies that generate value for shareholders as well as society. Leaders have to maintain resources and financial security that will help them continue to make power moves.

Self Care

Danielle Harlan pushed home the point that self-care isn’t optional. It’s necessity. She broke down that a resilient leader must stay committed to meaning and purpose, continuous learning, building a circle of support, fostering positive emotions, maintaining self-efficacy and self-worth and overall self care. Danielle heads the Center for Advancing Leadership and Human Potential. Her latest book, “The New Alpha,” showcases changemakers who are redefining success and leadership to fit our modern world. Part of that revolution is making self care an integral part of success at any level rather than postponing it as a perk of some unattainable future achievement.

This piece was originally published on Joy Donnell Official. Discover more about this conference by following #msmuwomen

If you close your eyes and imagine a luxury business owner, you might picture a Ralph Lauren/Diane von Furstenberg-type sunning on a megayacht near Capri before jet setting on a private plane. You probably don’t envision a scrappy pioneer struggling with finances and societal paradigms in Kenya or Colombia or Queens.

Little media attention is given to the entrepreneurial luxury designer starting up in China or Africa despite a current societal climate that equates “Made in China” and “Made in Africa” with cheap. This is the new luxury order emerging around the world. It involves women, indigenous peoples and previously undervalued artisans launching luxury products that have ethical practices, cultural celebration, conscious sourcing and economic development at their core.

The global story of modern luxury entrepreneurship is as diverse as the world in which we live. It’s far more nuanced than making pricey products for the ultra-rich or highly-aspirational. Entrepreneurs in luxury can change who is included in every business market conversation because luxury sets the tone for consumerism. When a silk kimono appears on the Gucci runway, eventually a polyester version trickles down to a sales rack at H&M.

Whether it’s a tech advancement or coveted fashion, most trends start at a luxury price point and become ubiquitous through mass production at more accessible prices. That’s the system. Knowing this system, these new brands can shift the dynamics of the trends and the players.

Luxury welcomes uniqueness since brands must be distinct and find death in homogeneity. High-end brands are also motivated to be first-responders to consumer demands such as sustainability and ethical supply chains. These factors create a unique opportunity for any visionary that wants to use luxury toward social change.

What’s most exciting about startup luxury today is that none of it’s cookie-cutter. It’s a true landscape of creativity and imagination. There are brand stories covering everything from feeding economic stability in developing countries to rethinking materials.

Some of these businesses involve empowering female-driven enterprise, such as designer Miranda Konstantinidou who runs a “female-company” employing 1,300 people worldwide, 99% of which are women. Others, such as Minku by Kumni Otitoju, recycle traditional materials. In Minku’s case, the label takes the ceremonial Aso-Oke fabric of the Yoruba people, and incorporates it into leather goods and new fashion designs. Then, there are the innovators who turn waste products from fishing and hunting into sustainable materials. An example of this is London-based AITCH AITCH which uses salmon skin as leather for its luxurious handbags and accessories.

In other cases, fostering sustainable wages and artisanship go hand-in-hand. Ancestral skills are endangered in our modernized world. More youth seek learning code over the Incan art of skein dyeing, for instance. Brands that employ localized artisan skills and create a respected luxury brand through these talents help maintain techniques that preserve a peoples’ cultural heritage.

Whether the business is in a developing country or one considered robust, like the United States, its existence strives to expand markets so that the business of luxury and the demographics of decision-makers are more inclusive. These entrepreneurs are rarely being motivated by the idea of making money for wealth’s sake. In fact, most are driven by the very fire that makes entrepreneurs tick: the desire to give the world something it doesn’t have but definitely needs.

I believe in entrepreneurship and love to feature new luxury ventures that are supporting women and artisans around the world. I share my discoveries on Vanichi.com, HuffPost and other sites. Please reach out if you have a brand I should know.