Collaboration, empowerment and self-prioritization were highlighted topics in the Bold Women Collaborative pre-conference workshop on Wednesday afternoon at the AASA National Conference on Education in New Orleans.

Self-prioritization was the key message from keynote speaker Future Cain, founder and CEO of Future of SEL, who served as the statewide project coordinator for social and emotional learning and mental health for the Wisconsin Center for Resilient Schools.

Deborah Kerr, an AASA past president and superintendent of St. Francis School District in St Francis, Wis., introduced the symbol of the butterfly as a representation of transformation and the power of small connected actions.

One of the informational resources distributed to the 125 participants described the symbol as, “We are like butterflies–woven into a shared breeze, lifting one another higher. These moments of connection become wings, carrying us beyond what we imagined possible.”

Cain said women uplift each other by being vulnerable and by creating community – a point felt deeply among conference participants as women shared parts of their lives not normally discussed in professional settings.

Cain drew attention to putting yourself first in both professional and personal life in order to preserve physical and emotional health. The metaphor of “putting your own mask on before others” repeatedly emerged as she emphasized that if the women in the room failed to put themselves first. they would see negative effects, such as physical decline, mental health struggles and cognitive impairment.

Cain addressed the room to ask what was one thing on each woman’s to-do list. Participants responded, “visiting my 92-year-old mother,” “getting my son through high school” and “spending more time with my grandchildren.” Each of these tasks, Cain responded, are “in service to other people” and “women need to put ‘me’ on the to-do list.” To help others, women must put themselves first to be effective at helping the people they love.

She asked the attendees to write down one thing they want to do the next day or week in order to put themselves first. In their small groups, the participants mentioned finishing their book club reading, scheduling a massage and taking more walks on the beach.

The failure of putting yourself first on your to-do list leads to losing cognitive ability and increased anxiety and depression. Cain emphasized that point by noting that, “The United States is the No. 1 in the world in anxiety and depression,” and the diagnoses of children in schools is also skyrocketing. Losing passion and joy in one's job also happens because of lack of self-care and has resulted in a mass exodus from the teaching profession.

Cain asked her audience how many hours of sleep each member normally gets. The responses ranged from five to eight hours. Because sleep affects cognitive strength, Cain argued that self-care tactics could positively influence sleep, resulting in being better at decision making during the day. Self-care affects all aspects of our lives and is necessary to be healthy and attentive.

Cain’s final point stressed that putting yourself back on your to-do list will make your physical and emotional life better, and help you make more of a difference in other people's lives.

(Ruthie Feinstein, a sophomore at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, is a reporter for Conference Daily Online.)