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Sara Blakely and Tabitha Brown Also Addressed the 25th Annual Event

Download Photos of Isabel Allende and Sara Blakely and Lulu Garcia-Navarro

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 7,500 people attended the 25th annual Texas Conference for Women today, where keynote speakers addressed the theme of "Power in Unity."

"For the first time in history, millions of women are empowered by education, healthcare, jobs, and information—and any hope for peace and prosperity is in the hands of Western women," said Isabel Allende, American Book Award-winner, author of 28 books, and a lifelong advocate of women's rights. "But we are not alone. Millions of men are sharing with us a vision of a new order."

"You don't have to say to put a label on yourself, but just do the work. The work is being defiant, successful, independent, and most of all united–because women alone are very vulnerable. Women together are invincible. And that's the whole point, to be conscious of our strength, and we can only feel that when we are together."

"There's a lot to be said for being with people at this moment as you are here," said Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 11-time Emmy Award-winner, star of Seinfeld and Veep, and host of the popular, award-winning podcast Wiser Than Me. "Human connection is invaluable; we should cling to it with our lives."

The Texas Conference for Women advances women in the workplace and beyond. This nonpartisan, nonprofit event focuses on leadership, career advancement, and personal development. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the largest conference for women in Texas.

Sara Blakely, founder and CEO of Spanx, inventor, and philanthropist, spoke with Lulu Garcia-Navarro, host of The Interview at The New York Times Magazine. Blakely, who recently launched the new footwear company Sneex, talked about the importance of women inventors.

"There aren't as many female inventors as there should be," Blakely said. "When I invented Spanx in 2000, only 6% of primary patent holders were women. And then all these years later, it's only 13%. We are living in a world that is created by men. We need the female point of view."

"Men have been making high heels, for example, for 400 years, and we've all suffered. So, I find it important for all to use our ingenuity, use our voices, stand up, and come up with a better way."

Tabitha Brown, actress, author, and Emmy Award-winning host, also spoke along with several dozen of the nation's top experts on leadership, career advancement, and personal development.

The Texas Conference for Women, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, is part of the Conferences for Women, the nation's largest network of women's conferences. The network's conferences in Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, and Texas attract more than 55,000 people annually.

The Conferences for Women will also host a nationwide virtual gathering on March 5, 2025. Learn more here.

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SOURCE Texas Conference for Women