Moncton Area Entrepreneurs To Host Event For Women To Inspire Each Other And Work Together
DIEPPE – A group of women entrepreneurs in a peer mentoring group found that their discussions supported and empowered them, so they wanted to bring more women in by holding an open space event July 17-18.
Myriane Ouellette, the co-founder of consultancy firm Oliva, Martine Chiasson, owner of the exercise studio The Mama Movement, real estate agent Melissa Doucet and Lemon Twist Improv founder Felix Raye started She Inspires to provide a safe space for women to connect. The hope is their two-day event at the Wingate Hotel in Dieppe will allow women to talk openly about their challenges, opportunities, dreams and goals.
“We were looking for a way and discussing a way how we can break the barriers of typical networking, allow for authenticity and how to be vulnerable, and how to have meaningful relationships,” says Ouellette.
“We want to create something that women will be able to collaborate together and pop up some great ideas,” Chiasson added.
The organizers say because women face unique challenges in the workplace, in business, in relationships or at home, it’s important to have a space to seek out support from other women.
“You don’t always have that space [to speak candidly about challenges] when we’re in business. We always have to have a straight face because we’re women and we can’t show feelings. If we show feelings then we’re being vulnerable and then we might have fewer opportunities given to us,” Raye said.
Ouellette says the event can help provide that support.
“All four of us, we’re kind of seeking out really meaningful relationships with other women so that we can understand our trials and tribulations. Being women, we have a set of challenges and opportunities that align and find that when we’re working together, we can accomplish amazing things,” she says.
The event will rely on the open-space facilitation technique, a participant-driven process for which the agenda is created by attendees themselves. This will allow attendees to focus on whatever they want or need to focus on.
The organizers say the event is open for everyone who identifies as a woman.
“It’s for business people, for entrepreneurs, for moms at home, for everybody who’d want to participate,” Ouellette said.
Around 50 women joined them at the event’s launch event at Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca in Moncton on Tuesday.
Themed “grow,” this will be the first time the event is being held. Future events will depend on demand and reception from attendees. Tickets are $60 each.