I thought I was just hosting.
That was the plan.
Set the tone.
Welcome the room.
Introduce the speakers.
Keep the energy flowing.
Make sure everything ran smoothly.
As the founder of SwagHer, I’ve hosted countless rooms. It’s a role I know well — curator, connector, convener. I build the stage, hand over the mic, and let brilliance unfold.
But somewhere between finalizing the run of show and sittnig backstage, it hit me:
I wasn’t just hosting.
I was speaking.
I was sharing a stage with Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD and Lucinda Cross — women whose names carry weight, whose voices command rooms, whose influence stretches far beyond a single event.
And in that moment, I had a quiet internal check-in.
Wait.
I’m not just introducing them.
I’m alongside them.
The Shift
There’s something subtle that happens when you see yourself as the host versus when you see yourself as a peer in the conversation.
Hosting feels supportive.
Speaking feels exposed.
Hosting keeps you in control.
Speaking requires vulnerability.
And I realized that, for a split second, I had mentally placed myself in the “supporting” category — even though I built the entire container.
Why was I instinctively shrinking my role in the very room I created?
That awareness changed everything.
Owning My Seat at the Table
When I stepped onto that stage, I didn’t shift into “moderator mode.”
I stepped fully into CEO mode.
Visionary mode.
Voice mode.
Dr. Martin brought depth and grounded insight to mental wellness.
Lucinda brought bold strategy and elevation.
And I brought the heart, the framework, and the vision that gathered us in the first place.
We weren’t in a hierarchy.
We were in harmony.
And the audience felt it.
The Feedback
Since the event, the messages have been consistent:
“After the session today, I need to change my mindset and inner circle.”
“I truly was inspired and got some actionable takeaways– and love that it was grounded in the Word🙏🏽”
CEO Lesson: Don’t Downplay Your Position in the Room You Built
Sometimes we get so comfortable being the visionary behind the scenes that we forget we are also the voice.
We build platforms.
We curate talent.
We gather community.
But we also have something to say.
And if you created the room, you don’t have to earn your place in it.
You already belong there.
That moment backstage reminded me of something simple but powerful:
I am not just the host of this movement.
I am a contributor to it.
And when I stopped subconsciously minimizing my role and fully embraced that I was speaking alongside influential women — not just introducing them — the energy shifted.
Not because I became someone different.
But because I stood in who I already was.
And judging by the feedback?
The room felt it.
