Temple University wants to help you take charge of your life and power your future.

"Women typically work to make sure others are taken care of, often at the expense of taking care of themselves. Women are natural caregivers — if you want a job done well, give it to a busy woman because they know how to multitask and manage many problems all at once," said Cassandra Doyle, Manager of Off-Campus Programs and Training at Temple University. "But if you first focus on yourself, it's going to result in a more positive experience for everyone around you, from family to coworkers to friends. When you take care of yourself first, everything else falls into place."

Designed to support, strengthen and inspire women to grow into the best versions of themselves, Temple's first Women's Empowerment Workshop will be held at Temple University Center City on Thursday, January 28. The event, sponsored by the Temple University Office of Non-Credit and Continuing Education, the Office of Off-Campus Programs and Training and Temple Center City, will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and feature six speakers sharing insights on topics from nutrition and do-it-yourself projects to creating a new business and estate planning.

"This workshop, truly, is geared toward any woman today — young, middle-aged, older — who would like to network with other like-minded individuals," Doyle said.  "Women shoulder a lot of responsibility between work school, family and other responsibilities. I think everyone at some point in their lives has thought about doing some fine-tuning or an overall transformation in what their life can and should be."

The Women's Empowerment Workshop, Doyle said, is about "getting top-notch speakers together to talk with participants — and get participants talking with each other — about making important changes."

"It's about seeing things through a different lens or challenging themselves to achieve a personal goal. It's about recharging, getting ready for a new year and embracing life's challenges," she said. "Maybe they want to build better personal and professional relationships, start a new business or develop habits that will help move their lives forward. No one should be afraid to take the first step toward realizing a dream; they shouldn't be ambivalent about seeing what else is out there."

The all-day workshop features dynamic speakers who will share their personal stories — successes and failures — and provide useful information that will help women tap into various tools of empowerment to set and obtain their personal and professional goals.

Keynote speakers for the workshop will include Emmy Award-winning journalist Lu Ann Cahn, cancer survivor, author of I Dare Me and Director of Director of Career Services for Temple University's School of Media and Communication. Closing out the day will be Margie Winters, former Waldron Mercy Academy Director of Religious Education whose termination from her position has expanded the dialogue about LGBT inclusion in the Catholic Church.

Additional speakers will include:

• Ashvini Mashru, MA, RD, LDN: Mashru is a nutrition and fitness authority with a clear outline for how nutrition impacts productivity and a practical wellness plan for busy women. She is the author of Small Steps to Slim.

• Beth Allen, Interior Designer, Licensed Contractor and former RN: Allen is a DIY expert and founder of DIY HIP Chicks who shares her knowledge and empowers women to be smart, capable and confident homeowners. A true DIY resource, Allen has provided invaluable do-it-yourself advice for NBC-10, 6-ABC, PHL17, the Philadelphia Home Show, YouTube, eHow and About.com.  

• Jennifer Lynn Robinson, Esq.: Robinson battled back from a near fatal accident to become a professional speaker and trainer helping entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profits become more savvy and strategic with their networking efforts. She is a contributor to Philadelphia Magazine and the Huffington Post and host of the cable program Main Line Connect.

• Heather Turner, Esq., M.Ed: Turner is a seasoned estate planning attorney and educator offering stress-free, friendly and personalized planning of your will, powers of attorney, living will and trusts. Turner helps individuals get peace of mind by creating an estate plan today to protect their families and assets in the future.

Robinson, whose expertise is in networking, said the Women's Empowerment Workshop "should be the beginning of the discussion, not the end."

"Women's networking has really grown. A conference like this let's women see the value and support gained by networking with other women in their own field or any number of areas — that's an invaluable experience and I'm excited to be a part of it," she said. "Making connections like this shouldn't just be a one day thing. Use those resources you've been able to tap into, follow-up and keep building on those important connections."

Allen said people have become entirely too task oriented rather than goal oriented in their lives.

"We get so caught up in our to-do lists that we do focus on our goals. The goals are the big things in life, the things we can accomplish — getting a kid into college is a life goal that took a lot of tasks to get to," she said. "I think this workshop provides women an opportunity to get outside of their everyday lives, to reassess, reflect and redirect. What do you want to be? Where do you want to be in five years? What legacy do you want to leave?"

Registration for the Women's Empowerment Workshop is $125 and includes refreshments and lunch. The first 25 registrants will receive a free, signed copy of Lu Ann Cahn's book, I Dare Me.

Register online or call the Office of Non-Credit and Continuing Education at 267-468-8500.