Recently at thefamilyroom LIVE event in Sydney, Australia, we were completely blown away by the story of a beautiful woman named Frances who, through horrific adversity, realised something within her that enabled her to rise up and get through it all.

She never stopped believing that life, hope, strength, laughter and joy were waiting for her on the other side, cheering her on, every step of the way.

Yes, she’s human, so these were not the only voices she heard, but these were the ones she CHOSE to listen to.

Have a read of these lyrics below, download it from iTunes and play it to the girls in your life … for me that’s my 15 year old daughter. Powerful words that can change how girls, entering their teens and beyond, view themselves and their place in the world.

Beautiful Flower by Indie.Arie

This is a song for every girl who’s
Ever been through something

She thought she couldn’t make it through
I sing these words because
I was that girl too
Wanting something better than this
But who do I turn to

Now we’re moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

‘Cause you’re beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You can heal the world with your mind

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

This is a song for every girl who
Feels like she is not special
‘Cause she don’t look like a supermodel Coke bottle
The next time the radio tells you to shake your money maker
Shake your head and tell them, tell them you’re a leader

Now we’re moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

‘Cause you’re beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You can heal the world with your mind

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
You are brilliant

Enjoy,
Michaela

It was a magical night of fun, laughter and even a few tears as we hosted women from across Sydney at our third familyroom live event in Sydney, Australia this weekend.

Friendships were formed, conversations started and stories shared during an unforgettable evening at Chatswood RSL, staged in partnership with ShoreCare, the community services arm of North Shore Christian Centre.

Family Room founder Susan Sohn flew in from Canada to host the night and inspire women from all over Sydney to build extraordinary families, develop strong relationships and strengthen the communities they live in.

The personal stylists from ZaZaZu shared their wisdom on how to update your wardrobe and highlight your best features with the right colour selections. Lena, thefamilyroom’s adopted hair stylist snipped her way through a live makeover and resident familyroom chef Sam Cosatto, the culinary whizz behind many of our tried and true recipes, conjured up a mouthwatering white chocolate mousse live on stage with samples for all to try.

A high point in the evening came as we honoured an amazing woman of strength, Frances de Sauty, who has faced life as a quadriplegic since suffering terrible injuries in a road accident. Her inner strength and amazing spirit are a constant inspiration to those around her. Daughter Felicity, only 13 years old in December 1999 when her mother’s accident turned family life upside down, delivered a moving speech paying tribute to a woman whose generosity and positive outlook impact everyone she meets. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

In addition to a sea of gift bags, amazing giveaways were handed out throughout the evening, with women keen to show off their best Bollywood and Irish dancing in a bid to bag a prize.

The pictures above are a quick sample of the night’s proceedings, but look out for a full photo gallery on the events page soon.

Next stop Calgary!

The familyroom team

Well friends, we said it would happen, and now it has – our third Family Room LIVE EVENT has completely sold out!!!

We can hardly wait to see you all in Sydney on Friday night for what we know will be an amazing and inspiring evening. The guests are ready, the gifts are waiting and all we need is you.

But if you can’t join us in Sydney, or you missed out on tickets this time, please keep a watch on our LIVE EVENTS page where we’ll bring you news of upcoming dates for your diary.

See you there

Susan & thefamilyroom team

Okay friends, we are off to Sydney for our February 19th LIVE Event and it’s almost sold out. If you’re still wanting to come then PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE jump on our EVENTS link and get your tickets sorted.

Who can resist ‘MEN AT WORK’!
As I jump on the plane and make my way to Sydney (with my mumma by the way) here are a few greats to enjoy.

And….. A bit of Slim for everyone (this is for you, Robert!)

Hey friends,

Happy New Year from all of us here at thefamilyroom! We trust your new decade has got off to an amazing start.

We have an exciting line-up planned for 2010 with humorous, thought-provoking and insightful articles from your favourite writers as well as some new voices who we know you’ll love

First up though, we have two LIVE EVENTS planned for the start of this year which we are hugely excited to host in Sydney, Australia and Calgary, Canada. These LIVE EVENTS are exceptional evenings of fun, laughter and inspiration aimed at building extraordinary families and strong relationships.

To find out more about our forthcoming events, click on the new button on the right. We would love you to join us if you’re in town.

See you there!
thefamilyroom team

Hello everyone this is just a quick message to let you know that CHRISTMAS WITH THE GIRLS is almost here!!!!! Mark your diary now…… NOVEMBER 2ND 7PM-9:30ish.

This event is going to be even better than the first one. We’ve been working really hard getting everything ready for you and now we need you to book yourself and your friends in. The earlier you book the more time we have to put the final details in place so why not call today and secure your space. Also, remember we have tables of 10 available so think of 9 other girls (your mum, sister, aunts, girlfriends or your neighbour) and make it a great night out together.

If you’re anything like us (and we know you are) you are incredibly busy and booking your seat gets put to the bottom of the list every day yet the thought of booking continues to plague your mind. So girls take a moment now and call Global Fares on 1300 886 283 to book (truly it will take about 5 minutes and then it’s done). You really don’t want to miss out.

We can’t wait to see you,

Susan, Michaela & team
xoxo
©The Family Room 2006

Hello everyone,

This is just a quick note to say a big thank you to all of you who came out for our first FAMILY ROOM LIVE event. We had so much fun and from your comments and feedback we know you had a GREAT time.

The giveaways (which were fantastic) were to the value of $18,000 on the night. This support came entirely from our community which is amazing. Our local businesses truly understand the power and strength of families and demonstrated that through their generosity.

Our team are already gathering more support for our November 2nd event. Make sure you register yourself and your friends today as seats are limited – remember, the earlier you register the more time we have to plan and exciting program and secure amazing giveaways for the night!

Before I sign off I would like to make mention of two companies I forgot to recognize – I would like to thank them for their incredible support.

Firstly Global Fares and Conferences who generously donated their time and expertise when it came to registering and assisting us with the logistics of the night. I would personally like to encourage you to check out their website and consider using them when you book your next trip – they are our preferred travel agent and we know you will find their service as spectacular as we do. Visit them at www.globalfares.com.au.

Also, I could tell from the leftovers how much you all loved the incredible cakes we enjoyed on the night. The cakes were generously given to us from our friends at Sweet Deliveries. We have had the privilege of working with Sweet Deliveries in the past and will continue to do so as we move forward, they are quality all the way. Visit their website at www.sweetdeliveries.com.au and perhaps think about using them for one of your own parties or office functions. That’s all for now girls I hope you’ve all had a fantastic weekend and I hope your week has started strong.

Remember to remind each person in your home how much they mean to you and keep smiling…..every situation looks better through smiling eyes.

We love you, believe in you and hope you’re dancing.

xoxo,

Susan
thefamilyroom

©The Family Room 2006