EVANSTON — More than 250 people attended the annual Evanston Women’s Conference on Saturday, March 8, held at Davis Middle School. The event was organized by the Women’s Conference Board, which includes volunteers Amy Fackrell, Mardi Woodward, Sheila McGuire, Jerri Liechty, Kari Stott, Stephanie Hartley, Jen Ellingford, LeAnn Carson, and Tammy Koncitik. The day was also celebrated as International Women’s Day across the world.

As people arrived, they were given a pink bag filled with health information and little treats. Thirty-six vendor booths filled the gym and flowed down the hall. Attendees had time after breakfast, between sessions and after lunch to stop at the booths and pick up information from nonprofit agencies and health groups. Tickets were available at each vendor’s table for a chance to win one of the many door prizes donated by businesses and vendors.

“It was an amazing day,” Uinta BOCES No. 1 Executive Director and Evanston Women’s Conference board treasurer Sheila McGuire said. “We were thrilled with the turnout and, from the feedback we received, the audience loved the keynote speaker, Kristina Kuzmic.”

Kuzmic is an author, comedian, international speaker and mental health advocate. She was born in Croatia and, during the war there, she immigrated to the U.S., where she faced even more challenges — divorce, single parenting, poverty and mental health issues.

In 2011, Oprah Winfrey crowned Kuzmic the winner of Mark Burnett’s reality TV competition. Since working with Winfrey, Kuzmic has created videos encouraging people to prioritize their mental health.

Now, with well over one billion video views, Kuzmic is providing her audience with encouragement, hope and humor. She has 2.9 million Facebook followers and 850,000 Instagram followers. She is sought after as an international speaker, has completed two comedy tours and performed in over 60 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Kuzmic’s first book, “Hold On But Don’t Hold Still,” was released in February 2020 and has since been translated into eight languages. Her second book, “I Can Fix This! (And Other Lies I’ve Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child),” was released in May 2024 and was featured on “Good Morning America,” in the New York Times and People magazine among other outlets.

Kuzmic joked that parenting was a lot like riding a bus; much was out of our control, yet there is much that is in our control.

Kuzmic got a roomful of laughs when she said, “How many of us have those quotes hung on our fridges that are supposed to immediately change our lives.”

Using humor throughout her presentation, Kuzmic shared personal stories about her own struggles with being a single parent and being poor. She realized that she was a good cook, so she started inviting neighbors over for a meal and, when they finally they began to come, they were very appreciative and began to bring their own creative dishes. Before long, she realized that, even though she felt she had little to offer, she could still give something.

“Plans are great, but they are not great if they are stopping action,” Kuzmic said. “We need to make the best of what is, instead of pining for what isn’t. We stand in the way of our own joy.”

Kuzmic talked about how other people’s judgment can keep us from moving on. She shared how her oldest son had struggled with mental health issues and she had blamed herself and let others’ judgment influence her. She shared four steps — action, distraction, reaction and fraction — that helped her to heal herself and be able to help her son.

She said when her son was hospitalized for mental health issues and missed his high school graduation, she took action when he was home again by giving him a special graduation ceremony in spite of others’ judgment. She chose not to let others’ criticism be a distraction to keep her from being true to herself and to her child.

“Life can be hard,” Kuzmic said. “We all have struggles. Remind yourself that a particular situation is only a fraction of your life, it’s not forever, it’s right now.”

After the keynote speaker finished, there were breakout sessions that ran before lunch and after lunch. Lunch was catered by the Uinta School District No. 1 food service department.

One of the sessions was led by Kuzmic, who gave tips, insight and guidance to better support children with mental health issues. Kuzmic shared her own experiences supporting her son through mental health challenges and letting go of society’s unrealistic expectations surrounding children’s mental health.

The restorative breathwork session with Tammy Konticik, graduate of Myotherapy College of Utah who has a full-time practice in Evanston, focused on learning healthy breath practices that will bring the body, mind and spirit into balance.

In another workshop session, Barb Martinez and Leanne Hutchinson, owners of Good to Grow Farms, gave tips and tricks for gardening in a high elevation desert.

Cent$ible Nutrition Educator Stephanie Anderson of Evanston engaged people in planning a menu centered around fresh, locally cultivated produce. She had samples of different food items for attendees to try and provided sample recipes using local homegrown produce.

City Drug owner and pharmacist Andrew Cannon and marketing director Mark Hiatt provided information on bioidentical hormone therapy. They discussed the history of bioidentical hormones and the benefits of replacing hormones lost.

Tanisha Day, owner of CDW & Co., held a hands-on workshop where guests could pay for a hat and jewelry piece and then during the workshop could customize them.

Gennifer Young, functional medicine coach and founder of NourishWell Essentials, and Brandon Jaggi, owner of Meadowlark Mind & Body, gave attendees three foundational keys for supporting their own mental wellness and provided ways to break through fatigue, anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.

McGuire said the conference would not be possible without the continued support of their sponsors which include Evanston Regional Hospital, Enbridge, Spire, First Bank, Uinta County School District No. 1, the Wyoming Community Foundation, Union Wireless, Star Valley Health, Best Western, Legal Tender, Western Wyoming Community College, Soroptimist, BMO, Creative Ink Images, Better BodyWork, Uinta County Herald and Minky Couture.