Headbands Of Hope founder to host Bright Side Conference For Women in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The founder of North Carolina based Headbands of Hope, Jess Ekstrom, is bringing a first of its kind conference to Raleigh on March 21 and 22.

The Bright Side Conference will take place at St. Mary's School in Raleigh. The conference is related to Ekstrom's new book, Chasing The Bright Side.

"What I want "Chasing The Bright Side" and people to pull from it is success is within all of us if we just believe in better and believe that we can be the ones to do it," Ekstrom explained.

"I am living proof that you don't have to know what you're doing in order to make an impact," she said.

I started Headbands of Hope in my dorm room at N.C. State and had no business experience whatsoever and asked a student to build my website and paid her in Chipotle burritos, and that was how I got going," Ekstrom said.

Ekstrom started the company in 2012 and to date has donated more than a million headbands to children with cancer in every children's hospital in the United States and 15 other countries.

"One of the cool things that has happened is we've been able to sell way more headbands than the amount of kids diagnosed with cancer each year.

"So January this year, we announced an expansion of our mission where we donate headbands to kids with illnesses," she added.

The Bright Side Conference caps at 300 and offers discounts for groups of four and offers a scholarship program for those in need who would like to attend.

"Saturday of the conference it's going to be more about professional development," Ekstrom said. "Conversations fostering community over competition especially with women.

"How we can get rid of this comparison trap we fall into? And, Sunday is going to be more of a wellness focus," she added. "We're going to have fitness classes, wellness panels, juices and just ways we can treat ourselves well and feel good."