Pulse December 2017 | Page 32

Amy Cuddy Points on Posture and Presence from the opening general session was powerful, to say the least. before our keynote speaker took the stage, Chairman Todd Shaw asked for a moment of silence to pay respects for those affected by recent tragedies around the world. ISPA was honored to welcome the Mandalay bay staff to join us in saying prayers and intentions for those loved and lost. UNITE to IGNITE! left: cuddy captivating the audience with her keynote presentation. rIgHt: striking a power pose at her meet-and-greet following the general session. After our moment of silence, singer Star Swain took the stage to perform her original song, Together as One. Her powerful voice and message had a profound effect on members of the audience. It was amazing to see the faces of both ISPA members and Mandalay Bay staff as she sang about bringing us all together. We still get goosebumps thinking about it! Swain was followed by Richard Blanco, the fifth inaugural poet for the U.S. Blanco’s original poem, written specifically for the ISPA community, encouraged members to remember to take care of themselves. 30 PULSE ■ December 2017 The first General Session also gave ISPA the opportunity to present the 2017 Visionary Award to Susan Harmsworth, a woman who has spent decades innovating and bringing our industry to new heights. Her entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge of spa was awe-inspiring. Finally, keynote speaker Amy Cuddy took the stage for an intriguing presen- tation on the effect our body language can have on our mood, mind and state of wellbeing. Her approach was both scien- tific and relatable, which made her ideas easy to follow and her points hit home for many of us in the audience. Here are a few takeaways from her captivating keynote: “your authentic self is the person you are in the best moments of your life.” Cuddy’s point about being our authentic selves felt like something clicked in our collective brains. We always hear how important it is to be our authentic selves, but did we ever really know what that meant? It always seemed like some unattainable goal when, in reality, our authentic selves are really just the people we are when we are the most joyous. What a simple concept for such a complex idea. It’s easy to conjure up our most authentic selves now that we have a marker with which to 1.