08/19/2024

Three Takeaways From #ASAE24

Wellness was a common thread at ASAE's annual meeting

Every ASAE Annual Meeting & Expo is a challenge to summarize—there are a lot of people, a lot of sessions and a lot of different threads for attendees to follow. Which is as it should be, given the breadth of work associations do. But though I’m just one person who cannot cover everything by splitting himself in two (or ten, or 20…), there were a few notable themes that emerged during the three days of sessions.

Emotional well-being is on the agenda. Every annual meeting usually has a session or two on mental wellness—and those spa chairs in the expo hall aren't there for nothing—but this year, I was struck by how overtly that was part of the conversation this year. It was at the center of poet Amanda Gorman’s Opening Session conversation, as well as former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who spoke candidly about therapy and developing a healthy mental perspective in the face of persistent and often hateful public criticism.

The subject also found its way into presentations during the smaller learning sessions. One of the final ones, "Vanquishing Impostor Phenomenon," featured five association leaders talking candidly about their struggles to feel like they measure up to their roles, especially as persons of color. One of the better recommendations around that came from Alex Morales, CAE, an account executive at Bostrom: Create a
"smile file" to track the positive feedback and supportive messages you’ve received, to look at on days when you are not feeling your best. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.