The Confident Conversations: Healthy Minds, Strong Sisters series was developed to provide all Kappa Delta members – collegians and alumnae – with real-world strategies to prioritize their well-being and continue growing into women of impact. Throughout three sessions, over 1,875 collegians and 410 alumnae built and enhanced foundational skills to take charge of their lives and lead with confidence. 

In a post-event survey, one collegian said, “Because of this program, I know that I can be resilient. I learned how to give myself grace when things get hard, and how to address those heavy feelings so that I can grow to be the best version of myself that I can be.” 

Read on for the key takeaways from each session, and to see the impact your gifts are having on our members. 

It’s Okay not to be Okay, with Archie Messersmith-Bunting 

During the first session of Confident Conversations last October, mental health awareness speaker and advocate Archie talked about how small changes can affect your mindset and sense of self. Rather than immediately waking up and checking a phone, for example, he suggested attendees take a few minutes for themselves, to set intentions for the day. One collegiate attendee said, “I can set my days up to be great ones by reclaiming my mornings! I feel more confident that I can handle the challenges I am currently facing and manage new ones as they come.” 

Another attendee, an alumna who volunteers on a Chapter Advisory Board and a House Corporation Board, said that “learning about collegiate mental health needs” was one of her “main goals” of attending, and reading the responses in the Zoom chat was “illuminating.” She learned how to best talk with the collegiate women she advises about their wellbeing and make space for checking in. 

Riding the Waves: How to Swim Instead of Sink When You’re in Unpredictable Waters, with Dr. Lauren Cook 

In January, psychologist and author Dr. Cook discussed how important it is to address difficult feelings head-on and shared strategies to do so. An alumna member said, “I feel more equipped to recognize signs of distress, even minor ones, and take appropriate action,” something she’ll use to grow personally and in her work as a member of National Leadership Team. 

Dr. Cook’s session had the highest attendance of the three, and especially resonated with our collegiate members. One collegian said, “With the tools Dr. Cook shared, I feel confident and empowered to be the strongest version of myself.” 

Collegiate chapters across the country, like Beta Pi-Florida, intentionally planned sisterhood events around Confident Conversations so they could learn together. Before Dr. Lauren Cook’s session, Beta Pi held a vision board workshop, encouraging members to think about their ideal futures and what it will take to achieve those goals. They then watched Dr. Cook’s session as a chapter.

Chapter President Alexis Boselli said, “I have seen first-hand how Confident Conversations has enhanced our chapter’s sense of community and leadership skills, especially for our new members who feel empowered to take on leadership roles around campus and within our chapter. Beta Pi women constantly lift each other up, and Confident Conversations gave us even more ways to support each other and lead with grace, love and confidence.” 

Creating Confidence, with Tina VanSteenbergen 

In the last session, held earlier this month, Tina, a speaker who helps women advocate for themselves and create strong communities, discussed how confidence and growth are ongoing journeys that don’t always follow a clear path. She explained how building your confidence can be like climbing a mountain—you can see the path ahead, but there is work to do before you reach the top and can walk downhill. That message particularly resonated with collegians, who are often focused on moving from one achievement to the next in their pursuit of success. 

One collegian said, “Because of this program, I feel empowered to both love where I’m at and strive for growth. I’m going to practice speaking kindly to myself and to the people around me so I can lift up my community.” 

Another said, “Confidence is something you have to work toward, not something you can will into existence.” 

Another added, “I now recognize that confidence is a long-term goal—it’s not linear. I will apply the skills I learned today to my day-to-day life by recognizing I shouldn’t only feel confident when I achieve something and sometimes just feeling confident to be me!” 

We hope our line-up of incredible speakers helped you learn more about taking care of yourself and your mental health. Most of all – we hope this series showed you that you’re not in this alone! Your Kappa Delta sisters are here to be part of your self-care journey and cheer you on as you become the best version of yourself.

This isn’t the end of Confident Conversations! Stay tuned for our next series coming this fall