Reese Witherspoon is killing it with the annual Shine Away conference

While many Angelenos enjoyed the peace and quiet of their Saturday morning, determined women from various disciplines gathered in Hollywood to attend Hello Sunshine's second annual Shine Away conference – a two-day event aimed at bringing women together to network network and collaborate with each other.

On Saturday (October 5), around 700 participants at the event were greeted by Reese Witherspoon, who, along with main sponsor AT&T, owns the media company that produced the affair. The warm welcome took place at Nya Studios, kicking off two days of programs, activations, workshops, wellness moments and panels from notable leaders and their brands.

Following the founder and actress's opening speech, she sat down with Octavia Spencer and Laura Dern for a first intensive conversation. Moderated by Kellyn Kenny, AT&T's chief marketing and growth officer, the prolific actresses described how their personal relationships with each other ultimately drive their creative projects – for the better.

The panel discussion covered many topics, including life lessons – both professional and personal – and how they hope to continue to improve women's narratives. Here you will find all the insights from Saturday's panel.

Reese Witherspoon admits she wasn't business-savvy when she first started her creative business venture

It's obvious that Witherspoon is serious about her efforts. In her opening speech, she nearly burst into tears as she told a deeply moving story about how sunflowers move in relation to the sun to feed themselves. Ultimately, she used the anecdote as a metaphor to make the point that there is enough food (and space) in the world for everyone to thrive.

Her authenticity, relatability and vulnerability definitely sets her apart from the status quo in Hollywood. That day, her speech made it very clear that she truly wants to promote women and BIPOC visionaries in film and television.

In addition to the other Hollywood panelists, the Sweet Home Alabama star cites that Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Kerry Washington are other valued members of her community that she relies on to advance women's storytelling.

At 32, Witherspoon started her own production company, but admitted she didn't always have a sustainable business plan until she hired CEO Sarah Harden, who eventually hired executives and built infrastructure for the company.

She admitted to having an “aha” moment when her accountant presented the hard truth and said:

“I had a moment right after Big little lies. I had self-funded my first business and thought…okay, well, Big little lies won all these Emmys and Wild And Over, girl We got all these Oscar nominations and made $600 million at the box office. I had four employees and couldn't keep the lights on. I remember the accountant called me and said, “You haven't made enough money making these three things to keep four employees.” So I thought, “I'm doing something wrong.” And then I had this aha -Moment. I thought I needed help. I don’t have a business plan.”

She continued candidly: “I think it was an important moment for me to realize that there were things I didn't know and I had to ask for help… It's also good to know what you're not good at. “

Laura Dern attributes her latest real-time revelation to the Shine Away conference

Laura Dern, who took part in the panel discussion with Witherspoon and Spencer, admitted that she herself had an “aha” moment the night before the conference. Her 19-year-old daughter had just finished a business conversation when she Palm Royale star asked her a candid question: “What are your goals?”

“Of course I act, write, direct and produce stories… but I'm also an activist. I want to study law. I’m interested in documentaries,” her daughter replied.

Dern went on to say that she was embarrassed that she thought her daughter should “pick a lane” until she had an almost instant revelation. “Because of all of you sunflowers, I thought, 'Wait a minute.' She will feel the sun everywhere and evolve through all of you,” Dern revealed. “She will be a businesswoman, a leader and a mother, taking care of herself and doing Pilates even when it hurts. I really want to thank you (all) for teaching me what we are entitled to in terms of our voice and our empowerment.”

Octavia Spencer is working on a film adaptation of The first lie wins and reveals what’s next for her

Octavia Spencer first previewed her film adaptation of the novel The first lie wins, which is also featured in Reese's Book Club and says: “What I will say is that it's propulsive. It’s a thriller and sexy.”

The Oscar winner avoided revealing any storylines to audiences, but revealed that there are no limits to the stories she wants to continue telling.

“I want to continue to tell stories in all genres, (about) marginalized people, people who don't necessarily have a voice. I am on the board of AFI and also contribute to the Sundance Institute. My company meets with people who have just graduated and are hiring an agent. We are constantly looking for new voices,” explains Spencer. “So I just want to continue to tell stories and hopefully inspire. I don't care how we get there… if it's a horror story, it's inspiring (laughs). It's show business, but also an art form. I want to be able to continue to do things in all genres, but provide opportunities not just for myself but for as many people as I can bring.”

AT&T Chief Marketing and Growth Officer and panel moderator Kellyn Kenny exclusively revealed what it was like working with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine on Shine Away

Kellyn Kenny can't rave enough about working with Hello Sunshine on Shine Away and only hopes their partnership makes the event “bigger and better” for years to come.

“I think it was inspiring on both sides… They felt really excited about the power of connection and the power of networking. And we totally agree with Reese's mission: female empowerment. “When you think about entering into business partnerships, you don't always have the opportunity to be as creative as we imagined here, and you can get inspiration from both the participants and the panels,” he said Executive exclusive. “Hello Sunshine and A&T kept the participant in mind first and foremost. Everything we’ve done is to create an experience that really resonates with people who take the time.”

Other notable panelists present throughout the weekend included Heather McMahan, Alex Morgan, Candace Parker, Diana Flores, Olivia Munn and Naomi Watts.