Brooke Shields visits Fresno for Central California Women's Conference

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Brooke Shields took the stage at the 34th Central California Women's Conference Tuesday morning, immediately showing off her sense of humor that she says Hollywood wasn't always ready to accept.

"It's funny though because it was like, 'Oh well, she's pretty, so she can't be funny.' and you're like, 'Okay, well, that's not really the way it works," said Shields. "And then I had to, like, re-educate Hollywood as to why you could use a person who looked a certain way and make them smarter, funnier. Which was an uphill battle."

Laughter and applause erupted when she openly acknowledged a hot flash on stage.

"And I seriously am having a hot flash," said Shields, pulling off her sweater.

The comedy broke up the more serious moments on balancing motherhood, her career, and empowering each other in her chat with ABC 30's Margot Kim, who served as emcee of the event.

"All the time that I take comparing myself to other people, I can actually not do and just put it all into my children and our conversations," said Shields. "And giving myself a little bit of a break, I made it this far, like to make it to 58 and like not be a total train wreck. It's like, I'm like, okay, so you gotta keep doing it. You have to surround yourself by people who remind you what your voice is."

It was those moments that really stood out to women in attendance.

"Seeing her as a child star and now as a mom, it was very, very great to see, and it's very motivating. You could really relate to her," said Josie Almeida, Fresno State.

Local community leaders were also recognized and rewarded for their work in the community. Tracy McGee received the She Makes A Difference Award for her work with West Fresno Family Resource Center, empowering her to continue serving the community.

"What I do is just volunteering my time, you know, to help people out in the world," said Tracy L. McGee, She Makes A Difference Award Recipient. "I mean, God blessed me, so I bless others."

The keynote and awards create the cherry on top of a day of networking and women finding inspiration.

"I think it's a great opportunity for folks to learn what everybody is doing. A lot of times, we're all in our little silos," said Des Washington, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce. "Anytime you get the women all together, that's my favorite!"

Many of the women in attendance are already planning on attending next year.

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