‘Dance Moms’ star Christi Lukasiak keynote speaker at All For Her event
“Dance Moms” star Christi Lukasiak will be the keynote speaker at this year’s All For Her event at the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center in Washington.
All for Her: Inspire, Educate, and Motivate is an annual one-day event designed to focus on women’s health, wellness, well-being, inspiration, and empowerment.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Self-care and a little pampering are among the offerings at the annual All For Her event.
A vendor hands an All For Her guest a cup of coffee at the event.
As a mother of two daughters, Christi Lukasiak, one of the original dance moms on Lifetime’s hit reality series, “Dance Moms,” and an entrepreneur, cares deeply about women’s health, wellness, inspiration, and empowerment.
So the Mars resident was delighted when she was invited to serve as keynote speaker for the eighth annual All for Her: Educate, Motivate, and Inspire event.
The free, one-day event is designed to focus on women’s health and is scheduled for Oct. 19 at the Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center.
“I was very flattered, very humbled,” said Lukasiak. “The biggest takeaway I hope people who attend come away with is that I want people to realize you don’t have to be as hard on yourself as you are based on what others’ expectations of you are. I talk a lot about self-care and self-love, and why it’s important to put yourself first and strip away those expectations that others have for you because they’re harmful. We shouldn’t judge ourselves based on other people’s opinions.”
Best known as a reality television star whose quotable one-liners and self-described “smart mouth” made her a “Dance Moms” fan favorite (she and her daughter, Chloe, were regulars from seasons one through four and returned in season seven), Lukasiak also is a motivational speaker, podcaster, and social media influencer.
She recently launched a program called Adulting 101 that helps young adults transition from childhood to adulthood.
Lukasiak also is a member of YourMomCares, an organization for mothers of celebrities – founded by the moms of Jonah Hill, Adam Levine and Alicia Keys to remove the stigma surrounding children’s mental health by funding innovative and impactful solutions to the mental wellness challenges facing today’s kids.
Lukasiak hosts two podcasts: Back to the Barre, where she and Dance Moms friend Kelly Hyland recap episodes of the show and share behind-the-scenes stories, and Christi’s Couch, where she candidly shares her experiences, gives advice about growing up, discusses what she’s learned from mistakes she’s made, and encourages women to become the best version of themselves.
Her most important role, though, is mom to Chloe, 22, a senior at Pepperdine University, and Clara, 14, a freshman at Mars High School.
Her goal is to empower her daughters and the next generation of women.
“I tell my girls to chase their dreams actively, it’s OK to change your mind, it’s OK to pivot. If it doesn’t work out, that’s OK, it wasn’t what you were meant to be doing, but go after your dreams,” said Lukasiak.
She encourages women to set goals, regardless of their age.
“I think you definitely need to have goals for yourself, no matter how old you are, from 5 to 95. I always encourage women that when opportunities present themselves, take them. Life sometimes takes you down unexpected paths for a reason, and I will be the first to jump,” said Lukasiak, a “Pittsburgh girl” who graduated from Gateway High School and Gannon University. “I’m a little bit of a chicken when it comes to daredevil activities like heights or jumping out of planes, but I’m fearless when it comes to living. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets about something I didn’t try to do.”
And in a society where ambitious women too often are viewed as selfish, pushy and unlikeable, Lukasiak said ambition is not a bad thing.
“I think that word, ‘ambitious’ is frowned upon when you’re a woman, but I don’t feel there’s anything wrong with wanting to be ambitious and have a big life, whatever your version of that might be,” she said.
All for Her is sponsored by Washington Health System and the Observer-Reporter. This year’s speaker sponsor is 84 Lumber Co.
More than 50 vendors, nonprofits and local businesses will participate in this year’s event. All For Her also will include a sale show for Dress for Success Pittsburgh featuring their items along with fashions from local boutiques.
All For Her has partnered with Dress for Success since its inception because of its support for the nonprofit’s mission.
Organizers call All For Her a special event.
“It is a space for women to feel heard, supported, and open to discuss topics that are important to them,” said Carole DeAngelo, Director of Advertising and Events for the Observer-Reporter.
Stephanie Wagoner, manager of marketing and community relations at WHS, said the health system is pleased that All For Her gives women an opportunity to spend some time focusing on themselves – from spa treatments to inspirational speakers.
“Most women tend to be the family caretakers, the daily schedule jugglers, kid carpool drivers, working women, home chefs, and so much more. We often think of ourselves last during these busy daily schedules,” said Wagoner. “But All for Her is more than just an event. Our goal is to empower and educate women of all ages, and we hope that when you leave the event, you feel we’ve made some sort of positive impact on your life.”