Around 50 women, some wearing hot pink dresses and suits, attended a Women Empowerment Summit hosted by the Strong, Smart, Kind Foundation (SSK) to grow and connect with other women.
The SSK Foundation is a nonprofit started by Teresa Hoang, who is also the incoming CEO of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. The foundation supports mental health, women’s empowerment and youth leadership.
The summit, held on March 28, featured workshops, vendors and networking opportunities for attendees. Workshops covered topics such as optimizing your natural traits, reinventing yourself and speaking with impact.
“The goal for this [event] was finding your authentic self and being okay with your authentic self,” said Hoang. “We were really intentional [with] the speakers we brought in.”
Speakers included TEDx speakers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and international voices.
Dr. Shalini Gopalkrishan, a TEDx speaker and AI strategist at San Francisco Bay University, led a workshop on speaking with impact. She provided attendees with tools to reset their inner voice, structure any message in 60 seconds and build a power statement.
Gopalkrishan had participants write out the “old story” their inner voice tells them, then use the flip formula to rework it into a positive message. The flip formula encourages sharing experiences and strengths with the format: “I have [past experience] and today I bring [that strength].”
The closing session, Mindset & Legacy, was a small panel featuring Jennifer Hyde and San Lieu. Moderated by Hoang, the two women shared their stories of sexual and domestic abuse, child loss, addiction and how they are surviving and leading a legacy after these events.
Lieu is a mother of four girls, now using her journey to empower others with resilience, courage and the mindset to rise beyond adversity. When she left her abusive marriage, she decided, “I can’t show my daughters this type of environment. It’s a cycle that I just needed to break—and it starts with me.”
Hyde is now living a legacy in honor of her son, focusing on nonprofit work. She was a career hairstylist, but is now the co-founder of the Oddo Family Foundation.
“After having been a hairstylist for so many years, and knowing so many different people, I started getting more involved in nonprofit work,” said Hyde. “Helping people who needed help and being supportive of people who had families with addiction. Honestly, it’s helped me be a much better person.”
Hyde added, “I feel really hopeful because it’s a new chapter of my life…I’m a very blessed person.” Hoang amplified this sentiment right away. “She went through a crazy relationship, she went through losing her own son at 19 years old, and to say she has a very blessed life,” said Hoang. “That’s a mindset right there, right?”
As for Hoang, having a legacy that’s larger than herself is important. “Growing up, I wanted to save the world. I always wanted to fight for the underdog and be the voice for the voiceless,” she said.
This is the summit’s first year in Fremont, but it’s been going on for several years. Hoang brought the conference to Fremont because of her recent start in the Chamber of Commerce. “I’m all in wherever I’m at,” said Hoang. “I want to bring business here.”
The SSK Foundation is 100% volunteer operated. Hoang shared that the only time they do work is after the kids go to bed or wake up to meet at 4am to put the summit together.
“It’s worth it,” Hoang said. “When you see people connect, when you see people [relate] to others’ stories and say, ‘I lived through that too’ or ‘I’m not the only one,’ and then they can say ‘I feel empowered to live my life because I’m not alone.’”
