Nothing left off the table at first annual Women's Summit in Ottawa

From politics to women's health and even the importance of sleep, every topic was on the table at the Women's Summit at the Shaw Centre on Friday.

The forum, hosted by The Honest Talk, brought in experts to discuss issues that affect women's lives. The event was for women of all ages but for those like 17-year-old Hannah Vermeij, who is a Grade 12 student at Elmwood School, it has been eye opening.

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"It's so great being surrounded by so many amazing people," she said. "Even just listening to the speakers, they're inspiring. It's clear that they have a passion and care about the stuff they're talking (about)."

The forum had question and answer style discussions. Vassy Kapelos, chief political correspondent for CTV News, was a speaker at the event and says she wishes she could have been exposed to something like this.

"I wish when I was 25, I could have gone to something like this and heard from people who are in roles that I wanted to achieve, that isn't all that it's cracked up to be, that it's not like this utopia, or a panacea, and that everything gets better all the time," she said. "That there are new struggles and different challenges, but also like what led them to that place, how they got there.

"There weren't a lot of people who sort of could provide me with the information that you would have got if you came here today. So, I think that's kind of cool."

The event sold out, and organizers Jennifer Stewart and Catherine Clark said in an interview with CTV News Ottawa that it shows more women are calling for frank discussions about things that matter to them.

"There's so many layers to us as women that we wanted, Catherine and I, wanted to provide a summit that touched upon all of these topics," says Stewart. "We recognized a woman as a full person as opposed to splicing off one topic for discussion."

"We also truly feel that that means that there's a need for these kinds of events where women have these conversations," says Clark.

Vermeij says the event is helping her prepare for the future.

"I do think like the way that people really care about their communities is really inspiring and definitely inspiring me."