This Week’s Community Highlights!

Last Updated on Friday, 23 September 2011 03:14 Written by Urban Zen Friday, 23 September 2011 03:14

It was a busy week for us. With the WIE symposium, the book launch for @PIH’s Paul Farmer, and Donna Karan’s appearance on CNN, our Twitter feed was abuzz. Many thoughtful women took to their smartphones in order to share with the world the inspiration they felt from the symposium attended by leaders such as Arianna Huffington, Christy Turlington, and our very own Donna. Our contest winners, especially @katiewsimon, were documenting their amazing opportunity to accompany our founder throughout the two-day event. We were thrilled by the theme of women and girls as part of the Annual Meeting for the Clinton Global Initiative. Our founder Donna Karan and Executive Director Myra Magaletta, including many of our followers such as @Alayna, were deeply moved by speeches from President Obama and the Clinton family as well as the heartfelt commitments from so many influential world leaders. Coincidentally, we had two Presidents at the Urban Zen Center for the launch of Paul Farmer’s latest book, “Haiti, After the Earthquake. We were excited to have @erinschrode join us for this special evening. She is a founder of @theschoolbag for Haitian children and filled up our Twitter feed with her enthusiasm. Last but not least, our Twitter party for Donna’s appearance on @PiersTonight was a big hit. @RikaJ83 felt Donna portrayed Haiti in a realistic but positive way. @JATetro felt the Urban Zen’s mission for Haiti could be applied to global health initiatives. Others were excited to see our artisan crafts on the show, such as @mariansalzman. We want to thank Twitter friends such as @colleenecleary for spreading the word about the Twitter viewing party as well.

Being Compelled into Action at the 2nd Annual WIE Symposium

Last Updated on Friday, 21 October 2011 11:32 Written by Donna Karan Wednesday, 21 September 2011 11:17

I have to admit; I find the balancing act difficult. At times I struggle with the multi-faceted, deeply layered role of being a woman. It’s a challenge, but I’ve learned that it’s so much easier when I am surrounded by a supportive community. For me, co-hosting the 2nd Annual WIE Symposium with Sarah Brown and Arianna Huffington was exactly this – an amazing group of inspired and inspiring women coming together because we believe that together we can really do something.

The 2-day symposium kicked off with a day of sharing enterprise and entrepreneurial advice. Young women gathered to learn the insights and wisdom of industry experts. Understanding that the world will be positively impacted by female leadership means passing on the lessons learned with the women rising; it’s an amazing thing to have heroines like Nancy Pelosi and Tamara Mellon contributing to the shaping of the women who are becoming the trailblazers of tomorrow.

The enterprise day was followed by a day of inspiration. I was honored to participate in the day and be a part of the energetic community of women. We began with a special breakfast for the White Ribbon Alliance, a coalition committed to the advancement of maternal health. Health care is an issue that resonates with me, and the stories of the midwives working to save the lives of women and children was truly moving. Sarah Brown, patron of the White Ribbon Alliance and WIE co-host, graciously invited Arianna and I to participate in the breakfast. I was thrilled to collaborate with Magalee of Caribbean Craft to create a special paper mache bag to benefit the WRA’s efforts to advance maternal health in Haiti. As I shared earlier, we were also able to collaborate with Paula Coles to create a beautiful white bag made of recycled tee-shirt materials designed to benefit the WRA as well.

Celebrating Women at the 2nd Annual WIE Symposium

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 September 2011 04:13 Written by Donna Karan Tuesday, 13 September 2011 12:35

My journey as a woman has taken me to faraway places and created unforgettable memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It is because of my journey that the mission of the WIE symposium resonates with me so deeply. We must empower young women to dream, to strive, to accomplish. I believe that true connection and real collaboration are essential to the empowerment process. This is why I just announced on the Huffington Post, that Arianna Huffington and I are committed to creating an online community where women can take action steps. I’m excited about this venture, and wanted to share this announcement with you here:

The WIE Symposium is a germination period — seeds will be planted with the potential to bear powerful fruit. It is an opportunity for women to rally around the causes they care most about, regardless of whether that cause is maternal health, education, sex trafficking, culture preservation, health care, environment, nutrition or any other number of extremely important issues.

The real challenge is making a commitment to do something and finding support along the way. My friend and fellow WIE Panelist, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, fiercely believes that women must get off the sidelines; that “more women need to embrace the fact that their voice matters and that they can make a difference.” I couldn’t agree more.

We know that the women who attend this event are going to leave renewed and motivated. We know that women are going to want to take action, to come together and create change. We also know that they need a community of support. And we are prepared to help.

Arianna and I are going to create an online community for women to take action and commit to moving forward with the causes they care about. It will be a place of collaboration, support, accountability, conversation and encouragement. It will be a home for inspired connections and innovative solutions.

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To read the rest of my blog, please visit the Huffington Post.

The Politics of Sustainable Wellness: A Conversation on Wisdom

Last Updated on Wednesday, 4 May 2011 03:48 Written by Urban Zen Thursday, 21 April 2011 08:56

On Thursday evening, the Urban Zen Foundation opened its doors for the third panel discussion in our Sustainable Wellness Series with Dr. Frank Lipman. For this event, we had the privilege of welcoming Arianna Huffington – a long time friend of Urban Zen – onto the stage to dive into the politics of sustainable wellness.

April Foundation Ambassador – Arianna Huffington

Last Updated on Friday, 1 April 2011 09:56 Written by Urban Zen Friday, 1 April 2011 09:56

Urban Zen’s April 2011 Foundation Ambassador is Arianna Huffington, who continually inspires us with her ability to touch the lives of so many people across the globe. In 2006, Time Magazine named Arianna one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2009 she was number 12 on Forbes’ list of most influential women in media. In founding the Huffington Post, Arianna created a platform on which people around the world could share ideas, discuss matters of interest and voice personal opinions. Not only has she planted seeds of thought herself, but provided an opportunity for others to do so as well.

Urban Zen had the pleasure of working with Arianna last year when she moderated a discussion between Deepak Chopra and Andrew Cohen on how to create a spiritually inspired future. We are very much looking forward to collaborating with her again on April 21st when she will join us for a conversation on sustainable wellness with Dr. Frank Lipman.