Just last night, late, as I celebrated the end of my 55th year and the start of my 56th – I read a distressing message from my daughter, the new mom of my 3-month-old granddaughter, Iris Stella. I hope you’re not weary of hearing about her yet.
In this message, my daughter was lamenting about feeling bad for not being productive when she grabs a glimpse of a moment for herself.
As I always do, I reminded her of the oxygen mask theory – a theory I find myself reminding many women of all too often, even myself.
It goes like this: we can’t take care of others, effectively if we don’t first take care of ourselves. But that’s not something we, as women, do very well.
And that, my friends, is why TBBW’s Women’s Wellness Invitational, now in its fourth year, is happening once again on August 22, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa.
When we inaugurated this event, our goal was simple yet profound: to spotlight and enhance women’s health in mind, body, spirit, finance and emotional support. To potentially save lives through critical health care screenings. And to give women a much-needed alternative to a traditional golf tournament, as a form of client entertainment.
Florida ranks 32nd, nationwide, for women’s overall health and well-being, with a grade of C , and none of the metrics put us anywhere in the top 10. That’s not just a statistic; it’s a crisis and a call to action.
Women, in general, are often so busy taking care of others: children, spouses, teams, parents, that there “isn’t time” to take care of themselves, or so they say. The statistics around women of means who do not get regular cancer screenings are astounding and disappointing.
In 2024, the sold-out Invitational gathering of women joined in foursomes to dedicate a full day to self-care. We began with a nourishing breakfast and a panel discussion, featuring leading voices in women’s health care and financial planning, each bringing insights tailored to our nuanced needs.
Building on the last two years’ successes, we’ve once again partnered with the Norman Clayman Endocrine Institute to provide complimentary thyroid cancer screenings. Complementing these screenings, our friends at AdventHealth will provide mobile mammography on-site, once again. Last year, 16 of 60 women took advantage of the breast cancer screenings, a testament to the convenience and peace of mind offered when health care comes to us. And also last year, thanks to Dr. Seth Forman of Forcare Medical, we were finally able to add skin cancer screenings to this important day.
In just the last three years, we have saved 27 women’s lives who were unaware of a cancer diagnosis or a need for further investigation. We’ve had so much success with these screenings, it’s literally scary.
New in 2025, our keynote speaker, Dr. Adam J. Scheiner, a world-renowned surgeon and author, will be signing copies of his book, The True Definition of Beauty, and donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.
And that’s not the only thing we’ve added!
For the first time, we are offering general admission, single tickets for those who want to benefit from the keynote’s insight, enjoy breakfast and a mimosa bar as well as panel discussions, facilitated networking, and more. Yes, even men are welcome to attend.
We’ve expanded our showcase, filled with amazing local businesses that are all about health, wellness and maybe a little retail therapy. Breakfast attendees will have access to all of the above, as well as the free cancer screenings.
For the lucky who have already purchased foursomes, the day will include that luxury spa experience at the Rock Spa and Salon, which has become so legendary and sought-after. We are, once again, sold out for foursomes in 2025, but we do have a waiting list. So let me know if you’re interested, in the event we are able to add a person or two.
There are still single tickets for the breakfast portion available. For more information, reach out to [email protected]. And, if you’d like to have your business participate in the showcase attendees will benefit from exploring, please reach out to [email protected] or [email protected].
And if not this year, there’s always next year. So, reserve your 2026 foursomes for this transformational day, now.
Thank you for making our Women’s Wellness Invitational more than an event—it’s a movement. Together, we’re not just raising awareness and saving lives; we’re advancing wellness and connection, one woman at a time.