I had a chance to attend some pretty amazing Nike events in 2017. From celebrating Summertime Chi at the Nike Air Society and getting my marathon on at the NikeLab Flyhouse to Nike's RSVP gallery activation to designing my own custom AF-1 in our latest Sneaker Story, there have been tremendous opportunities to learn, grow, and champion the Nike family. However, my latest experience with the Swoosh here in Chi-Town definitely struck a chord and reminded me that the force is indeed female.

As we step into a fresh new year we all have started to map out our goals for the year ahead of us. There are a quite a few things on my list that I am determined to accomplish and the #ForceIsFemale breakfast got me thinking in the right direction.

Nike's "Force is Female" campaign (which kicked off early last year around International Women's Day) is all about women breaking the mold. It’s about women who are creating their own path, crafting their future on their own terms, and being a major force. For us, this sentiment aligns with our own CNK creed and our desire to see women achieve and empower. So, when we got the opportunity to break bread and talk intention with Nike Chicago and their newest Girl Boss ambassadors, well, we came ready to dish.

We were able to enjoy an intimate breakfast at Little Goat Diner with two of the female Chicago Forces; founder of KNC Beauty, Kristen Noel Crawley and Alphabodies creator and photographer Liz Smart. The menu was created by Chef Steph Izard who is the first female winner of Top Chef so, let’s just say it was delish!

As we passed the dishes around the table, we were all able to chat it up about everything from our planned trips for the year, growing up in Chicago, handbags (Kristen’s Louis Vuitton bag was to die for), the delicious apple pancakes and, of course, what inspires us. I was able to chat with Kristen about her KNC Beauty line and was able to get the inside scoop on what she’s been up to. Overall: it was the perfect way to start my morning.

The energy in the room was amazing and it was great to be surrounded by women from different walks of life. It was a beautiful moment amongst women who are forces in their field and creating the path for others. I left the breakfast feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to break the rules.

After breakfast, we had the opportunity to hit the Nordstrom x Nike pop-up for some special goodies. And my weekend? Yea. ALL FORCE EVERYTHING. You'll go inside that experience a bit more later - until then, you can get your own force on by shopping the sneaks we all wore courtesy of our Swoosh fam.

The #ForceIsFemale is the perfect opening to the new year and ladies let's kill it.