The Claudia Brown

Earlier this week, I was celebrating my son’s birthday at Great Wolf Lodge when I received an invite to be a panel speaker at the DigiMarcon Dallas — an offer that led from networking with the MC at the DigiMarcon Miami when I had traveled with my college’s Journalism Club there last month.

Within hours, I was in an Uber to the Philadelphia airport with the suitcase I had packed for the water park! After multiple delays, I arrived at the Omni Dallas hotel around 1 am to the most spectacular sight: a crimson Pegasus outside my hotel window.

I spent the next hour admiring it outside and googling the spiritual meaning of a Pegasus, which I learned was “divine inspiration.”

I then returned to my room to read an email from the event coordinator asking me to be the MC for the entire event; speechless, I accepted!

Since I only had the clothing I had packed for the water park, I walked on the event stage wearing red flip-flops… ironically, this choice was later admired by a conference attendee who applauded me for my authenticity and relatable, casual dress.

“Who says women have to wear heels to be professional?” he said. “I congratulate you for breaking barriers!”

I smiled and thanked him, glancing down briefly at the water park band still on my wrist.