Davidsonville Woman Uses Social Networking to Create Awesome Women Hub

A little over a year ago, Davidsonville mother, teacher, author, spiritualist and shaman Robin Rice decided that Facebook was the perfect tool to use to use to get her message out. She started with about five people she knew, and created the "Awesome Women Hub."

At first, it was just a place for people to post things about their life, their businesses, their interests. It is still that, but in the short space of a year, the site has grown to nearly 15,000 women who gather for "happy hours," to showcase seminars, products, ideas and more.

Rice said that the idea to use Facebook was a "no brainer."

"I started experimenting in real time. I would have big name authors come on and we would go back and forth on the discussion board and then leave the conversation up for people to comment on," Rice said.

The site grew.

They asked people to send pictures of themselves being brave.

"We had 300 submissions and someone created a video. It got 10,000 views in 15 days, and I said, 'wow.'"

The site grew some more.

And that was when Rice knew she was on to something.

Fifteen, even ten years ago, there may have been an internet, but there wasn't a way to gather people—specifically women—together in the same way that Facebook provides. And its free.

Now Rice uses Facebook to not only gather women on the Awesome Women Hub, but she also has a private page where she gives classes on a variety of topics.

"People can come any time of the day and take the course from anywhere, all over the world," Rice said.

One of the big initiatives that Rice has been working on is to bring the unique qualities and values of women to the working world.

"We as women are constantly trying to adapt ourselves, instead we should change the way the working world works. There is a need to rethink business, a way to do it in a practical way," Rice said.

To that end, the Facebook page, the classes and a weekend conference in Baltimore this weekend will bring women together to try to figure out what the world needs next.

"We aren't coming in with an answer. We are coming in with a question," Rice said.

Here are a few details of the conference, which will also have dates in Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Seattle and Orlando.

Details of the Baltimore Conference (From Owings Mills Patch)

The Awesome Women Hub  announces  the Local  Leadership Team for the kick off tour stop in Baltimore, Maryland on May 7 and 8.  The Awesome Women Hub, with a force of over 14,000 active members that started as a Facebook page only a year ago, is kicking off a nationwide tour that will bring women together from the virtual community for two days of inspiration and creative action. It will begin with a globally-focused “RE-Think Tank” and culminate in a collaboratively created music video to be shared virally.

Joan Schramm is a coach, mentor, writer, dreamer and advocate for women creating the lives they want. "You can go along by putting one foot in front of the other and keeping a steady pace, but sooner or later it'll be time to jump some big hurdles – and you'll need different resources for that leap." Through her company Momentum Coaching, she helps women re-think their lives and break out to the next level of living. She helps job seekers break away from outmoded, ineffective job search strategies. Knowing that social networking can cut job search time in half, she teaches her clients marketing skills that get them noticed – and hired.

Debbie Kabin  is a proud Crone, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, and the creator of Earthmother Holistic Events in the Washington, DC area. She is all about honoring, creating, connecting and celebrating the power & reclaiming of The Sacred Feminine with her community of TribeSisters. Her mission is to help to bring our multitude of gifts out into the world where they not only belong~ but are needed more now than ever. Together, we will illuminate and blind the world with the Brightness of our collective light.

Sharon Fallon Shreve  is a Magdalene Priestess, ordained non-denominational minister and Women's Spiritual Empowerment Coach. She is devoted to helping restore the vibration of the Divine Feminine on our planet. The forest is her playground and all acts of beauty, love and kindness are her ritual.

Beth Bracaglia  is a Baltimore/DC based Professional Organizer and Chief Organizing Officer of Simply Organized. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Beth has a Bachelors of Science degree from Clemson University in Management and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She has over 15 years of experience helping her clients to organize their homes and offices.

Tiffany Montavon  is a ritual coach, helping people honor life's transitions while teaching practices for wholeness. Her specialties are soulful community organizing, sustainable spiritual practices and conscious event planning.

Laurissa Heller is the mother of three, a meditation teacher, a former environmental educator, and a volunteer at the Wellness House in Annapolis. She has been teaching yoga and meditation for many years. Her work now includes astrology and intuition as part of guiding clients on an on-going basis.

The kick-off for this grass-roots tour is at the Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills, Maryland on May 7 and 8.   Special guest, singer-songwriter Claudia Carawan will be performing.  Her composition, “Fearless” is the theme song of the DC tour stop’s video.  Enrollees are referred to as “Attending Sponsors”, as each woman who registers is supporting what the world needs next.  Each Attending Sponsor receives credit on the viral video as well as a hotlink on the Awesome Women Hub Facebook page.  Women can bring promotional items to add to goodie bags given to all of the participants. Every sponsor also receives a pre-recorded training, “RE-Thinking Your Business Presence Online:  An Awesome Women Facebook Training” by Robin Rice.