On September 26, 2018, 26 simultaneous Connected Women meetups happened in 26 cities in 4 countries, including Singapore, Pakistan, Philippines, and the UK.

No one can stop women from achieving greater heights if we all come together and share our personal and business insights. The women who attended the September 26, 2018 meetups are still buzzing with good vibes from the inspiring stories, knowledge, and new connections they gained.

As we prepare for the next global meetup on November 7, here are more learnings and key takeaways we can all benefit from.

Singapore

“It’s just great to have so many ladies from different countries meeting in Singapore. During the event, I mentioned the United Nation Global Sustainable Goals and one of the important goals that we want to achieve is gender equality and leave no women and girls behind. I hope more women and girls can move into STEM. This is the reason that I support and volunteer for Connected Women,” says Jane Lai, founder of Travel For Good. Jane is a results-oriented professional with 21 years’ experience working for multi-national companies in a variety of industries including life science, oil and gas, chemical, retail and electronic.

United Kingdom: London

“Every woman’s unique journey to the space she fills today and her momentum inspires the whole. And technology aids and propels the whole to another dimension of the field that’s never played before. I have made very valuable connections, friendships, and business relationships from gathering women who are connected within and without,” says Adele Lim.

Philippines: Cavite

“Thank you, beautiful ladies, for sharing your time and stories with us. We heard not just success stories but also stories about failures, struggles, and trials that still turned into beautiful endings. I’m so overwhelmed with the people who shared their blessings through the products and services they provided. God bless your generous heart. Let’s stay connected,” says Ellie Tablada.

Philippines: Cagayan de Oro

“What inspired me to host and join the Connected Women’s global meetup is to meet like-minded women—people around the world who are one in teaching and sharing my knowledge about technology. As an IT professional and as a woman, I have experienced so many challenges. Given the opportunity to become a volunteer to this community has allowed me to reach out to more women, connect with them, and help them become better in their crafts. I believe this is my mission,” explains Joan Merced Sheng who has been an IT professional for the past 15 years. She is also a freelance writer, a modern mom, and an eco-advocate.

“During the connected women meet up in CDO, I have learned how to use social media in terms of marketing and promoting my advocacy as a teacher and pastor in Maranatha Christian School,” shares Neleg Fortes Pablo.

Philippines: Davao

“During your worst, you shall be your best. This line stuck with me after hearing the speaker’s talk. She had major operations and eventually had depression. From there, she discovered her passion for crocheting, which is now her online business. She holds workshops to train others and also helps them by subcontracting orders to stay-at-home moms. It was during her darkest that she shone brightest. So never ever lose hope,” says mom entrepreneur Abbey Rivera who owns Adea’z Enterprise.

“Strength grows in moments when you think you cannot go on but you keep going anyway. The room was full of women with different stories. In every story, I discovered a woman’s resilience, faith, and love. And every woman in the room was in search for their tribe. I realize that a woman thrives with her community. We lift each other up. The story of the crafter Ella Faye MG Bensali left a powerful impact that opens us up to a lot of possibilities when we believe in ourselves a little more when we reach out to others more often,” says digital marketer Marj Bulahan.

“But how do you exactly find your tribe? For Faye, technology opened multiple doors of opportunities. It is truly a powerful platform where you can start building and growing your local community to a global one. Faye found her tribe through Facebook and reached the global market from the humble corner of her home when she was on the road to recovery—beating cancer, enduring multiple surgeries, and fighting depression. Today, she is dedicating her time to teach more women the art and skill of crochet, growing her local community of crafters using Facebook. She believed in herself a little more and focused on her capabilities. Any woman can do the same and make things happen too,” adds Marj.

Philippines: Makati

“This is my third time around hosting a Makati meetup. I observed that with every meetup, 90 percent of the attendees are new faces. Despite this, what I love about each new pool of meetup participants is that the stories of the women I get to talk to are all unique and inspirational. My key takeaway for the Makati meetup is that what we’re doing as a Connected Women community is really phenomenal, especially for other women who look for motivation to get out of their comfort zones and go beyond their usual roles,” says entrepreneur, choreographer, and health advocate Trizza Tolentino Javier.

Philippines: Naga

“Organizing an event is not an easy task. More than just devoting time to take care of every detail, I think what’s more important is that you have the passion down to your very core. What’s more challenging is that this event is not a one-time, big-time event. We want this community of women to grow here in our local community. And so the real challenge is not the organizing, it’s in the sustaining. It’s how we create value and make an impact on the lives of other women. I’m just blessed to have this team who really devoted their time, went out of their way to make the event meaningful with the limited time we have in our hands,” shares Ivy Oporto.

“Every meetup is indeed truly remarkable. Meeting new friends and gaining new learnings. The best way to learn is to be surrounded by like-minded people. I feel blessed being a part of Connected Women. I know being a member of this community is not an accident. It is a great avenue to enrich the entrepreneurial spirit within me. Here are some of the things I really like about the recent meetup. First, the initiative of local organizers, second the openness of every attendee to share and listen, third, the total equality. Lastly, I like the sharing of pertinent business lesson from those who have been in business for a decade. I enjoyed their very inspiring and motivating stories,” says Amor A. Bautista.

Philippines: Pampanga

“Connected Women reminded me that us, women, are capable of never-ending possibilities, especially with the fast-paced modernization of technology, available resources online, and support groups such as this one. We’re no longer bound by the stereotypes and are encouraged to promote women empowerment and inspire one another. Connected Women showed me that the world is not so scary after all because we support and have each other’s backs. That’s why after attending Connected Women’s first city tour in Pampanga, I started volunteering to host meetups and so far, everything’s been good and successful. Our community is slowly but surely starting to grow with members coming from different walks of life with skills, knowledge, and life experiences they are willing to share,” says digital marketing specialist Keziah Cyrene Garcia.

Philippines: Pasig

“It was a great experience! Hosting and being one of the speakers in this one-of-a-kind event is not in my vocabulary. But I did it tonight! I was touched by the appreciation and feedback from them. I can’t contain it! Maybe it is a great start for something new. I was very inspired by the stories of Connected Women Pasig,” shares Marjorie De Los Reyes.

Philippines: Quezon City

“My key takeaway from the meetup is that women are more than happy to help and be an inspiration to one another once given the perfect opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge without being judged. This is the opportunity given by Connected Women for holding these global meetups. I love the atmosphere in all the meetups we have hosted. All hesitations are gone and everyone is just open to have a good time and create genuine connections,” shares Gwenn Doria, a 10-year veteran in the virtual assistant industry, who is passionate about helping women have a thriving virtual assistant career.

“This time, I joined the meetup in Quezon City with Ruth, one of the co-founders of Connected Women. These women are contagious! I also get inspired by their successes and how they manage life challenges as a woman. I am sleeping tonight with an inspiring quote from one of the women speakers Marianne Mencias: ‘When women know how precious they are, it changes them. When women know their purpose, it changes the people around them. When women know their inherent worth, it changes the world.’ I am proud to be part of Connected Women team. I am more encouraged and engaged,” shares Arianne David.

We released a series of articles for the milestone #CW26on26 meetups.
Read Part 1 and Part 2.

Official global meetups happen every six weeks. Next run will be on November 7.
Sign up here if you want to attend or host one in your city!