#ConnectedWomen Meetups. These events are led by amazing community members who believe in our mission to help women share, connect, work, and learn. During these simultaneous meetups, we aim to inspire women from all walks of life and various industries to create new connections, learn new things, and come home with an overwhelming sense of belongingness.

To start off, here are some of the key takeaways from past hosts, speakers, and organizers starting with Lahore, Bohol, Bonifacio Global City, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, Rizal, and Mandaluyong.

Pakistan: Lahore

“My inspiring lesson from the last meet up is that women of Pakistan have a lot of expertise which they are ready to share with other women. Nothing in this world is impossible if you have the determination to accomplish and fight the battle. Being women entrepreneur entails many challenges but if you know the right people in the community around you then you will be able to survive through any storm of difficulties. With real-life examples discussed in this event, a new door of inspiration has been opened and networking with empowered women will definitely help the rising stars of our community,” says Nadia Saeed, a brand manager of Insta Food Industries (PVT) Ltd.

Although I was one of the speakers, this meetup was a motivation boost for me too. Seeing women working and excelling in all fields give a sense of achievement. There was so much energy in the room that I felt together, we are stronger and more empowered. Together, we can do big things,” says Nisa Anwaar, founder of Ottutu.com, an online food guide in Pakistan.

Philippines: Bohol

“Last night was great. I was able to bond with the women who attended and know them better. I especially admire the ones who have advocacies in their lives. Right now, I’m still looking for my own advocacy and the women I met last night gave me new hope that it will come to me. They also reminded me to stop worrying that I don’t have a clear path in my life yet.  At present, I’m just inspired to help out in my own little ways,” says Ann Therese Decasa, a Connected Women meetup volunteer, a blogger, and a virtual assistant for a UK-based client of Gwion Solutions.

Philippines: Bonifacio Global City

“It was my first time to attend a Connected Women meetup. I’m happy to be able to meet like-minded women who understand me as a startup entrepreneur. My key takeaway in one word? Self-love. As a community leader, I felt that I needed this. And Connected Women made me realized that it is important for us to empower ourselves first before empowering other women. The speakers taught me to improve myself and do things that keep me going. I like the topics about finances and wellness.

“As a young entrepreneur, I can see those as my own struggles and it is important that you are fearless to face these kinds of challenges. We learn from mistakes and it’s a good sign that we are doing a great job as women,” says Maria Korina Bertulfo, the founder of Filipina Homebased Moms, which is a fast-growing freelancing community with 83,000 members. Maria also works as an email support and social media manager for both local and international clients. She is passionate about helping Filipino mothers thrive in their chosen career either as a work-at-home mom, a full-time stay-at-home mom, or mom entrepreneur.

Philippines: Cebu

“When using social media, keep in mind that it’s better to be an inch deep and a mile wide. Be proactive and highly-responsive. Use lesser channels and be awfully good at them instead of being present in all channels but have less engagement,” says Lorna Bondoc, founder of YOVEO Digital.

Philippines: Iloilo

“Our speaker was empowering with her stories. She spoke about how we should all be confident in admitting our mistakes and recovering in life so we can move towards greater heights. She taught us the power of asking the right questions to the right people at the right time. During the event, we allowed more free flow time to discuss among the attendees how the whole event has helped them,” says Marla Escobar, unit manager for Pru Life UK in Iloilo. Marla lives by the sea. She is an advocate of developing a strong interior life through faith.

Philippines: Baguio

“Meeting everyone has reminded us why we strive to keep the Baguio community going. Our meetups may not be too big but we always want them to be meaningful and relevant to women. We thank our resource speakers for bringing inspiration to the room,” says Sarah Mamaril, one of the meetup hosts for Baguio.

Philippines: Rizal

“I am one of the city volunteers for Rizal and this is the second one we hosted. The two meetups we’ve had have the same energy and vibe, but they’re uniquely different in terms of what we’ve learned and how they impacted us,” shares corporate lawyer and entrepreneur January “Jan” Sarmiento Francisco.

“Personally, I had a fear that the 2nd one might trail off in popularity or even planning. But it turned out that we grew even bigger in terms of attendees and volunteers. It’s like everyone stepped up to make it happen!

“It really makes me proud to be part of this group of amazing women. For sure, we attend meetups because we want to connect with like-minded women who are inspiring and passionate in what they do, women whom we can have insightful and fun talks with. But as a host and organizer, the challenge was how to keep everyone engaged, and to make sure that they will look forward to the next one.

“And this is what I learned from our meet up. It doesn’t have to be a big one to make an impact. A small and intimate group is good enough as long as everyone feels welcomed. It’s a given that one may feel awkward to mingle at first because the room is filled with unfamiliar faces, and I’m glad to have observed that the Rizal ladies are so friendly that they make sure everyone feels like it wasn’t their first time.

“What I also learned is that consistency and follow-through is important to keep the momentum. Our members hold some pocket or mini-meetups frequently. And these informal meetups are a great way for our members to feel that we actually have a little bit of something for everyone. Our ladies have had dish garden activities and dream-building workshops. They even attended local government trade and business seminars together. This kind of friendly, supportive, and cooperative group, coupled with a national and global group that is as equally supportive, is the element that sustains us. I really believe that Connected Women, especially in our community in Rizal, is set to become bigger and stronger!”

Jan is a mom to an amazing 5-year-old boy. She highly believes that leveraging technology can bring great solutions to businesses which is why the mission and vision of Connected Women strongly resonate with her. She loves to cook and bake, write in her blog, and travel with family and friends.

Philippines: Mandaluyong

“When positive women get connected and get together, it’s impossible not be inspired. Another thing I loved at the event was the selfie activity scavenger hunt! I am not a selfie person but I enjoyed being part of the selfies taken by many newfound friends at the event. It’s a great activity to get everyone to mingle and quick connect to others and click. I will definitely be back on the next official Connected Women meetup,” shares Eleonor Santos, a mom to three amazing kids, a wife, a CEO of a system integration company, and a certified life coach practitioner.

“Organizing the meetup is always a happy and fun experience with the Connected Women Mandaluyong team. The passion to connect, learn new things, and to just have fun with empowered women is always something to look forward to every meetup. Our September’s topic is all about coaching—tips on how we can improve our lives and skills by learning to set goals and upgrade our grind. We hope that we can continue spreading the good vibes and meeting wonderful women thru our community,” says Celia Alamo Jacob, a certified life coach, and a creative entrepreneur at Brownroots PH.

“If one is willing to learn, she will find different ways to learn by exploring every possible way. And in being connected with Connected Women who are willing to share their expertise, the learnings are never-ending. Thank you, Celia, for being the driving force behind Connected Women Mandaluyong,” says Bobong Lacanilao- Cutiongco, a communication coach at CLI Training Consultancy.

We released a series of articles, read Part 2.

Official global meetups happen every six weeks. Next run will be on November 6th!
Sign up here if you want to attend or host one in your city!