Tonight I had the chance to not only dine on the brilliant southern cuisine of Paula Deen (hey, that rhymes) but I also got the chance to meet her and hear her story.  I was invited by my good friend and fabulous mentor, Daryn Kagan - check her out at DarynKagan.com - to the Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Dinner here in Atlanta.  While Daryn was the varsity team member, I got to go as a member of the JV team.  This year’s event was all about ushering the next generation into the room.  Needless to say I was honored to be there.  (It also was a good evening for me to get out of the house, because it is the eve of my book release.) 

So here I was amongst 50 of Atlanta’s most ambitious, courageous, successful women and in the middle of the festivities was Paula Deen.   Now before this evening I had followed the success of Paula Deen professionally, but never really had the chance to connect with her personally.  I was amazed and inspired.  She gave us her story of struggle – one that included a great loss in her life, the death of her father, which of course resonated with me.  But because of her candor and honesty on how this event shaped her life, good and bad, I was able to receive a great gift of inspiration.   It reminded me that sometimes giving in our life can be as easy as sharing our story with others.  It’s that voice of understanding, sympathy, and belonging that can empower others to be better, to live better, and to do better.  Cheers to Paula Deen.  I can never get close to you in cooking – I barely can work a microwave, but I sure feel close to you as an aspiring young woman with many dreams ahead of me.

And thank you to Daryn for allowing me to be in the room on such a special evening.