Notes from the Stage at the Virtua Women's Health Symposium

• Dec. 21, 2011
• Topic: Wellness

It’s been several weeks, yet I’m still buzzing with excitement over this year’s Virtua Women’s Health Symposium held November 19 in Philadelphia. Honestly, words can’t express what an honor it was to be chosen as moderator for this year’s event featuring legendary singer, actress and comedienne Bette Midler.

It was about November 3 when an e-mail arrived in my inbox with the news that Virtua staff, after having met me at the 95.7 BEN FM studios, decided I was their girl…I could handle a crowd of nearly 2,000 women, make a few opening remarks, and bring to the stage Virtua’s awesome CEO Rich Miller. 

Oh yes, and also sit down live on-stage with the Divine Miss M and ask her about a dozen questions from the audience.

It wasn’t until the actual day of event that it hit me – OMG, I’m going to be sitting three feet away from Bette Midler!  THE Bette Midler, star of many of my favorite films: Beaches, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Rose; Bette Midler, whose songs I’ve known and sung aloud for a lifetime; Bette Midler, the singer who was hand-chosen by Johnny Carson for his last Tonight Show broadcast – ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Now mind you, I’ve been in radio for nearly 18 years now, and I have definitely faced my share of excitement and challenges. Like interviewing Russell Crowe, who’s notoriously tough especially to members of the media. (He likes his fans, but the media, not so much.) Sitting a few feet away from Bradley Cooper is harder than it looks as well – trying to sound smart while staring into that gorgeous face... 

But, back to Bette – when I arrived at the PA Convention Center, I could barely contain my excitement, and yet, I also had a strange sense of calm. Then I sat through Bette’s sound check/rehearsal. It became quickly apparent that part of her huge success is due to the fact that she’s an absolute perfectionist. Bette was checking the selection of mics, running through her keynote speech to ensure the multi-media component kept the necessary comedic pacing and even working through her own pacing and delivery.

That’s when I reached for another cup of coffee just to make sure I could keep up with the Divine Miss M. But, much to my chagrin, a little bit of insecurity started to surface – darn nerves, they ruin everything! 

Having been on many a stage, I know it’s only natural to get show-time jitters, especially with a big live audience, complete with giant screens that would invariably make me look “Delta Burkish.” As I sat and listened, my mind was racing, and that’s when I heard Ms. Midler ask if the moderator was in the room…she wanted to meet me before the start of the event.

I heard her say moderator, so I stood up, walked up on stage to say hello, looked her squarely in the eyes and said (after pointing out how thin and great she looked)  “Hello Ms. Midler, the moderator has a name, I’m Marilyn Russell and I’m honored to be here today.” 

And that, as they say, was that.

I knew that after she and I said our hellos, I was going to be okay – I would strive to be as professional as she was, and I would do everything possible to stay in the moment with each and every question. She was so giving with her responses; she made it easy for the session to flow. As I watched and learned from a quintessential pro, she made me strive to be better – to engage the audience, to feed off her vibe and stay smart and focused.

It’s an experience that will stay with me forever, and I am so grateful to everyone at Virtua who had a hand in deciding to utilize me in this capacity. 

The piece de resistance came in the form of my treasured souvenir – Bette Midler’s CD cover from “Jackpot” with an autograph that reads: “Thanks Marilyn, You did a great job…Bette Midler.”