Smart Talk does it again!  They always manage to bring the biggest and brightest personalities to their Connected Conversations series.  Next week Cincinnati welcomes Patricia Heaton to the Aronoff on March 15, 2010.  Patricia will be speaking on Motherhood and Hollywood …and I’m sure she’ll share a little background dirt on her wildly successful run as the wife/mother on Everybody Loves Raymond.

The Smart Talk Connected Conversations series is an incredible experience.  The energy is alive.  The conversation is brilliant.  The company is phenomenal!  Tickets are still available …click here for more information.

Seriously, how much fun can you have in one night?  Smart Talk Connected Conversations brought Ann Compton to town last night and she nailed it!  Literally, from the opening paragraph into her speech, I was captivated…we were all captivated.  Ann has so many interesting stories, you could just talk to her for hours.  And you can see by the pictures, she’s completely down to earth and sincere. 

Ann has covered seven presidents for ABC News in a career that has taken her to the White House and Capital Hill.  She is the national correspondent for ABC News Radio, based in Washington, D.C.

It’s overtly obvious that she’s an excellent speaker.  She’s dynamic and she captures the audience instantly.  Below are some notes I took during her speech.  Everything she said was so interesting, I could barely take notes fast enough. 

*  She was the only broadcast reporter allowed to remain on board Air Force One during the dramatic hours when President Bush was unable to return to Washington. 

*  The Dalai Lama told President Obama that we needed for female leaders!  (ed. note:  Team Dalai Lama!) 

*  President Bush emailed her yesterday.  He’s working on a book. 

*  Thanks to Google Map, she learned Bill Ayres …yes, this  Bill Ayres, lives in her childhood home in Chicago.

*  On Air Force One, everything, everything, has the Presidential Seal, from the seat belts,  the drinking glasses to the razors in the bathroom.

*  On 09/11, Air Force One landed in Louisiana …because they were out of gas, and only for that reason.

*  The infamous potatoe/potato blunder made by Dan Quayle was, in part, not his fault.  It was an error made by a teacher on a flash card that he was reading.

*  The biggest news source right now…it’s YouTube, believe it or not. 

*  Ann’s only lukewarm on the notion of social media.  She thinks it’s the dumbing-down of news, and at times, grossly inaccurate. 

*  On August 6, 1990, president George H. W. Bush sent her an apology note (on presidential stationary) saying he was sorry for being too snippy with her in an interview.  He signed it with a smiley face!

*  “Social media is fraught with error and bad judgement.” 

*  One of her favorite websites is the DrudgeReport.com. 

*  Ann still sees the good in on the spot reporting, however.  For instance, reporters were not allowed to view Saddam Hussein being put to death.  The reason we saw those images thereafter was due to camera phones of those who witnessed it. 

*  Ronald Regan threw great cocktail parties for the press.

*  Ronald Regan called Ann in the hospital the day her daughter was born to send warm wishes.  (Wow!)

*  The speech writer for Obama is (surprisingly) only 27 years old. 

*  Ann goes directly to the White House every day for work, not ABC offices. 

*  Ann was offered a job her senior year of college.  She says she has never applied for a job in her life. 

*  Jimmy Carter once referred to Ann as “the reporter with the large diamond ring.” 

*  Ann is married to Dr. William Hughes, and has four kids.

*  Her children are the following:  A doctor, a lawyer, a software designer, and a budding media exec. 

*  She was with president bush at the elementary school when 09/11 went down. 

*  She first sat down and cried about 09/11 when she got back and checked her email.  The first email was from her son, stating his fraternity brother was on the 93rd floor of the World Trade Center.

Ann is truly an inspiration to all career girls, and women in general.  She’s a fearless female leader who has earned her place at the top.

Latest celebrity tweets via Twitter:

   Demi Moore:  “I have only done the yoga DVD of P90X so far, and that has kicked my ass.  The husband is banging it out every day- I need to motivate!” 

  Brooke Burke:  “I’m using the Baboosh Body for cardio.  If you want to lose belly inches, check it out.” 

   Every woman should attend a Smart Talk women’s lecture series.  Being amongst other empowering women and learning from them is what breeds creativity in one’s mind.

Visit Smart Talk Women to see all of the amazing, inspirational, and successful women in the entire lecture series.

I’m thrilled to be attending the Smart Talk series with Diane Keaton on May 19, 2009 in Cincinnati.  Single event (as opposed to the entire series) seats are still available here.  

Grab your girlfriends and coworkers and meet me there!  I’ll be the one in awe of Diane Keaton!

I’ll keep you posted…more to follow.

Certainly, you’ve heard of Twitter by now.   It’s so fun!  I’ve connected with so many people via Twitter.  It’s totally addicting!  Follow Supernatural Botanicals on Twitter for updates…on all things girly, of course!

   My friend Debba is a girl about town.  She’s in the know of everything, from networking, social media, blogging, pod casting, fashion, business, all things Cincinnati, and of course, the founder/creator of Girlfriendology and Cincinnati Women Bloggers.   Girlfriendology is a great website that celebrates friendships of girlfriends.  Debba just went to LA and hung out with Brooke Burke, selected by Frito Lay to help launch A Woman’s World.  Check out her home page for pictures and details.  You’ll love Girlfriendology.  There’s something for everyone there.  

New Bath and Shower Sea Salts online at Supernatural Botanicals…as promised!  New website design. 

Check us out now!  www.SupernaturalBotanicals.com 

Great meeting yesterday with New Media Cincinnati. There are a handful of social media rockstars here in Cincinnati, and I’m standing next to one of them here.  This is Daniel Johnson, Jr., or, as I call him, DJJ, and he founded New Media Cincinnati.  Visit his site here.

What is New Media Cincinnati?  It’s an informal meet up for people in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton areas involved with or who have an interest in new media (podcasting, video podcasting, blogging, micro-blogging, social networking, etc.)

If you are in our area, I highly suggest attending the next meeting if you are interested in networking with highly skilled, well-connected people in the industry.

  Affectionately dubbed the “babe table” these ladies are a lot more than eye candy.   Check them out to see why:

Helena Bouchez:  www.helenabcommunications.

Candace Silvasy:  SpaConsultant, www.ArtoftheSpa.com

Amybeth Hale:  www.ResearchGoddess.com

Robin Feltner, Founder/CEO Supernatural Botanicals www.SupernaturalBotanicals.com

Debba Haupert:  www.Girlfriendology.com

Carmen M. Hubbard:  Writer, The Catholic Telegraph

  Follow me on Twitter today!  Supernatural10.  Venture into a 2.0 mindset, get connected, start networking, and be productive.