Women Founders’ Happy Hour

Snacks, wine, bright faces, and big smiles. 🧀🍷

Easy, welcoming, and a real sense of place.

This is the space Caitlin, Renee, and Brooke created for 30 (!!) women a couple of weeks ago.

After some casual mingling, they kicked off intentional networking speed dating (which, yes, sounds mildly terrifying… but turned out to be such a smart way to meet people quickly and skip the surface chatter).

It was loud, lively, a little chaotic (in the best way), and surprisingly real.

Kristine, Michelle, and I got so caught up in conversation, we missed a couple of rounds entirely. We laughed, exchanged “yes, me too!”s more times than I could count, and bumped phones so we’d stay connected.

At one point, Carine and I were already discussing her plans for the rest of the night, even though we’d just met, and instantly recognized we were kindred spirits. ✨

When you work by yourself day in and day out, you miss out on so much of that in-office human connection.

The same can happen when you're in the midst of the job search.

Loneliness and rejection can quietly drain us.

At the end of the night, I jumped in my Waymo with a cup filled to overflowing, a few new connections, and a reminder that when events are thoughtfully designed, networking doesn’t have to feel like a chore.

It can just feel like extending your community.

Cheers to LinkedIn connections becoming friends IRL, more intentional spaces, and more “wow, I’m really glad I went” nights. 🥂

Where are you finding (or creating) connection these days?

📸 with Laura who introduced me to Caitlin who introduced me to Renee.