What better place to host a conference jam packed full of awe inspiring knowledge than at the Mecca, better known as Howard University! The Activate Experience 2K16 filled the seats of the illustrious Howard Theater in Washington, DC with powerful speakers and guests wanting to be enriched with the messages experts and thought leaders came to deliver on living out your best life in every aspect possible.
Chief Activator and creator of the Activate Experience, Lucinda Cross, was a streak of lightening as she spoke to conference attendees. Dressed in all 
white, she was a ray of light and the connection that sparked the vibrant electricity throughout the theater. Always one to speak in prolific metaphors to stir your soul, Lucinda did just that for her eager audience of activators. Her mission to uplift, inspire, call to action, and empower was definitely accomplished.
“We are teachers of teachers and leaders of leaders. You are at a higher level than you are presenting. You have to level up!”
With her fiery charge, no woman, nor man left the building without feeling like they didn’t have a higher calling and purpose to go out and manifest.
(photo Activate 2016). Retrieved on 10.6.16
Barnette is the author Being a Wife Just Got Real: All the Things I Wish I Knew Before I said, “I Do”. Her marital testimony shows clear transparency of the struggles and triumphs of married life.With such a wealth of knowledge and expert advice in the house, priceless nuggets and gems were dropped throughout the two-day conference.One panel that UStyle Magazine found priceless was “On the Couch Talk”, a sister-to-sister style discussion with Lucinda Cross, Dee Marshall and Tiffany Aliche. This discussion was built on wealth. The richness of the message was imploded with knowledge for attendees who possessed a desire to build a respectable, sought after brand. Dee Marshall explained how to start from the bottom to bring it all the way to the top of leveraging ability. Most importantly, she imparted that you need to build strong relationships in order to take your brand to higher levels.“There are different levels of speakers. You can go from being an unpaid speaker for exposure purposes and to barter services. Your next objective is to become a paid speaker. The way you do that is to know what companies and potential clients are looking for and be ready for that opportunity. In order to gain sponsorship, you need to have key corporate relationships. Your brand needs to exude that you have valuable content; that it is sustainable, and that the brand has longevity over an extended period of time.”Dr. Dee Marshall’s words were so vital on how to grow and get paid. Then in chimed the New York Times Best Seller herself, the Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche. While powerful in her message, she was most mild-mannered of the couch trio. Her avenue on how to increase your net worth was simple.“Align your brand with potential sponsors who have like values and missions. But above all else, just be amazing! People will see you and come for you. Never forget where you came from. Get back to your roots. Lock down your hometown, and you can lock down the world! Be easy to work with and don’t be a diva. Make yourself worthy of the dream you speak. Do the necessary work to be great!”There wasn’t a person in the room who wasn’t moved to a space of discovering their authenticity and motivated to go out and begin living out there best lives in the work that they do.To close out day one, Lucinda and her partner, Robin Devonish, had a question for the crowd.“What is your big ask”? Yes, initially everyone mumbled, “what did she just say”? But the question was genuine. The leading ladies wanted to know, “What do you want? How can someone in this room possibly help you achieve your goals?” While several women stood up and were taught to be specific and to address directly what was truly in their mind’s eye, one attendee really got what she asked for. Her request to secure sponsorships and speakers for her event to support foster children was so well received by the women she was left speechless and in tears. She received an outpouring of donated services in the form of donations, free speakers, and products to help her produce her event. Amazing what can happen if you only put your “big ask” out there.
Written by: Fatima Mohammed
Subscribe to UStyle Magazine and stay Up-To-Date and In-The-Know with the latest!
