I recently returned from the Science and Leadership Symposium sponsored by WomenHeart and Mayo Clinic. I’ve been to many professional conferences and personal retreats in my life, but this symposium was so different, I thought I’d share my experience with you.Imagine being in a room with sixty smiling, happy, energetic women. Now imagine all of these women telling their heart stories: tales of genetic defects, heart transplants, multiple bypass surgeries, heart attacks, and stents. Imagine laughter and tears, emotional roller coaster rides as these women describe the toll heart disease has on themselves, their family, and friends. Imagine looking into their eyes and seeing a firm resolve, a reflection of your own determination to make a difference. That, in a nutshell, was the opening dinner.The next three and half days were intense, filled with facts about heart disease, drugs and devices used to treat heart disease, a tour of the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Labs, a meeting with the WomenHeart staff to learn more about the organization. Then there were talks explaining how depression, anxiety and stress can increase the risk of heart disease, how nutrition, diet, and lifestyle play an important part in your overall health. There were breakout sessions in Tai Chi, Pilates, meditation, healthy eating, and sex after heart disease. An entire day was devoted to media and public speaking skills. We learned to introduce ourselves as spokeswomen for WomenHeart, informing others of the organization’s goals: Early Detection, Acute Diagnosis, and Proper Treatment. We learned to tell our heart stories in five minutes, and gained insights about giving media interviews. We heard from Mayo alumni about how they reached out to their communities, and shared our own ideas on ways to make a difference.In this brief period of time, we ate healthy food, we laughed, we cried, we hugged, we danced, we sang, we made heart bracelets, and we bonded as Heart Sisters. These few days touched each and every heart and changed us. At the closing reception, I read a short piece that I wrote about my experience.We Are All AcornsWe are all acorns.Alive and filled with knowledge, experience, and energy.During this symposium, we listened with our hearts; we spoke from our hearts.We all share a passion to make a difference.Now it’s time to root our acorns.To grow into sturdy oak trees.To grow our branches.To sprout our leaves.To stand among other oak trees in the WomenHeart forest.It’s time to speak from the heart, about the heart.For when we speak from the heart, we touch others, and they will know the heart truth.I encourage others to apply to attend this symposium when the next round of applications are available. It was truly a life changing event.