happy birthday to me...today I am 3!

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Grab corkscrew. Open red wine. Pour. Raise glass. Begin toast… Wow. It’s been three years since YWiB was an idea being shared amongst girlfriends. It’s been three years since YWiB supporter Fiona Walsh told Paulina we were “f***ing crazy” for attempting to organize Beyond Pink 2008 in just three months (which we did). It’s been three years since we began our journey to support young women in Vancouver. And what an incredible three years it’s been.

As we prepare to celebrate YWiB’s third birthday party on May 4th (which coincidentally happens to be my 23rd birthday), I thought I’d take the time to highlight a few of our favourite moments, complete with photos. They are in no particular order, so ignore the numbers, they don't mean anything.

1. what I need help with?/what can I help you with boards from BP08

These boards made their first appearance at BP08 and have been a staple at every conference following.  We LOVE that they allow women from all backgrounds, ages, areas of interest, to connect with each other – after all, isn’t that what women do best? Connect and share and support each other.

2. la famiglia YWiB

The YWiB family. Enough said. This inspiring team of women re-grouped after Beyond Pink 2008 to define the network’s future and forge the way for more young women to get involved. Much love, long nights, and bottles of wine have been shared brainstorming ideas and planning the events and programs for the organization.

3. tough love and inspiring conversations

 

Exploring Purple, where pink meets blue. The rebuttal to the all-male panel session was by far a fan-favourite of all our events. We still find ourselves quoting Chris Flett, “if you’re going to cry, go to the women’s room – it’s what it’s for”. Or being inspired by Cybele Negris who said, “You may be passionate about tea, but that doesn’t mean that you have to run a tea store. Maybe you’re not passionate about serving tea. You have to be passionate about what you do everyday.” What are some of your favourite qotes? Send them in!

4. What we fondly refer to as the “YWiB Magic”

That little something that’s different that makes the event, evening or interaction special. No stuffy atmospheres or stiff formalities. With us, you’re family. My favourite? The live artists that served as “decorations” at the Connect! Women in Business Tradeshow at Beyond Pink 2008. They had so much fun painting in the large ballroom and we had fun watching them as we passed by on our way to network with the next entrepreneur. Just one of many magical moments.

5. our amazing supporters.

How could we have possibly done this without you? Whether it was a harsh kick in the a** to get us moving, or inspirational words to keep us moving, or a new idea we hadn’t thought of, our supporters have been our rock (or rocks?) that we have relied on for so much. We are so grateful and no corny hallmark card poem can ever express how indebted we feel to our biggest supporters. Much love to you all.

-       Judy Brooks

-       Heather White

-       Bob Elton

-       Maili Wong

-       Frieda Granot

-       Michelle Pokey

-       …and so many others who have given their time as speakers, advisors or sounding boards, thank you!

see you on may 4th!

xo marica

Vancouver Sun: Beyond Pink conference features 'power couple panel'

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VANCOUVER - The first thing you notice is how young they are. And then you see how determined as well. They are Young Women in Business, a group of students, recent graduates and professionals who have joined forces to create opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed on their own terms. And, as a group, they already have. This year, they are hosting their third-annual Beyond Pink conference, a two-day event for networking, speakers, panel discussions and inspiration that is expected to attract 250 participants. There is even a trade-show-like setting where exhibitors provide advice, not goods.

"We had never felt disadvantaged," explained one of the founders, Jennifer Sung. "But we knew that there were some unique differences in carving our career path that were not so apparent to our male peers."

The group collectively began to wonder why they had not been exposed to a conference that addressed the needs and interests of young women like them, Sung said.

So YWiB and Beyond Pink was born.

One of the issues being addressed this year is how couples really interact and balance their lives, careers and families, so they invited some of the city's busiest couples to tell them how to do that.

"Balance is something that everyone strives to find, and if you can see how everyone else is doing it, the pitfalls and the successes, and the tricks and ways to make it work [that really helps]," said Dani Waters, who is the speaker coordinator for the conference.

Three couples will sit on Beyond Pink's Power Couple Panel: Andrea and Nick Scott, owners of spa and facial company, Skoah; Nick Reiach Great Little Box Company vice-president, and Katie Dunsworth-Reiach, of Smart Cookies financial advisers and Spark PR co-founder; and Gayla Dehart of Achieve Excellence Professional Coaching Services and husband, John, Nurse Next Door co-founder.

"What really stood out to us was how many of our couples have children or are starting families and [we want to hear] how they are going through that transition," Waters said. "I strongly believe, or at least I strongly hope, that you can have it all, and I think all three of these couples are examples of people that really support each other and enable each other to do what they are doing."

Conference organizer Lindsey Smith agrees.

"There's been a stereotype in the past that you have to pick your family or your career," Smith said. "If you want to advance your career, be the CEO, means you won't be able to have children or spend any time with them. We're all pretty driven women, and we want everything, and it's pretty frightening being told you have to pick one of the other."

Waters attended Beyond Pink last year and "got such a big energy boost from seeing other women that were excited about life and excited about what they wanted."

This year's conference theme is "Make Your Brand. Leave Your Mark."

"We're all energetic and determined, but what am I good at?" Smith asked. "What do I sell people on? What makes me different from the people sitting beside me?"

Keynote speaker Michelle Rupp, principal of Lighthouse Leadership will speak on the challenges she's overcome and what made her stick out from the crowd.

Judy Brooks, who co-founded Blo Blow Dry Bar with her mother Judy, returns as a speaker as well to talk about adding value to personal interactions.

"Let's look beyond the package that may or may not be important," Brooks said. "Let's look at what you're leaving behind. That's what a mark is.

"When I leave the room, do I want somebody to remember what I was wearing or how I made them feel?" Brooks asked. "I want them to remember how I made them feel."

The conference is Nov. 19 and 20 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.

More information is available at www.ywib.ca/beyondpink2010

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Beyond+Pink+conference+features+power+couple+panel/3816534/story.html#ixzz155GuNSI4

Why we love entrepreneurship

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This month is all about new beginnings and entrepreneurship and we couldn’t be more excited to be sharing the start of a new school year, the beginning of fall and simply a month where we have been inspired by the people around us. One particular group stood out above the rest with their ability to power through obstacles, commit their lives to what they are passionate about and, in the words of Nike, just do it! They’re the entrepreneurs. The visionaries. The changemakers.

I recently watched this short, amazing little video that got me thinking about the strength it takes to do something that they truly are passionate about and follow through with it. There are so many people who have stood up to do something different, despite being rejected, denied, and ridiculed.

BUT, the world is changing.  We’ve changed our minds about what it means to innovate.  We’ve opened our minds to new ideas – we embrace them, accept them, even crave them.  So while this video got me thinking…I’m happy that the stories that will be told about our time will be different.

So to all the entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs-to-be, thank you for forging the way, making change, and teaching the world to celebrate change.

The Way of the Entrepreneur: Hacking Your Personal Brand

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"Your brand is the gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something - to create something or help others in some way. The question is, how can you set up your life and work so that you can do it? The answer lies in your brand." - Dave Buck

This will be the first of YWiB's Dinner Series events - discover what it truly means to have a brand that transcends first impressions, reputation and business.   Learn how to hack your personal brand by learning from those who have perfected their to the word: the entrepreneurs.

This Dinner Series would be dynamic open discussion between you, your peers and 15 of Vancouver's top entrepreneurs.  You will discover how to leverage the world of personal branding in a entrepreneurship setting: dynamic networking, understanding your personal limits as well as what it means to be innovative. Dine with some of Vancouver's top entrepreneurs including:

Michelle Rupp, Lighthouse Communications Heather White, 2020 Communications Cybele Negris, Webnames.ca Jane Webb, The Brag Company Jill Earthy, FWE Judy Brooks, Blo Blow Dry Bar Lara Kozan, YYoga Ken Sim, Nurse Next Door Val Litwin, Blo Blow Dry Bar

Jump start the career you've always dreamed of and connect with an inspiring entrepreneur.  Start building your story... see you there!

date | september 29th 2010

time | 6pm

venue | azia restaurant [click here for directions]

price | basic member - eligible for your free event member price - $22.50 non-member price - $32.50

Click here to get your tickets today!

YWiB is Recruiting

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The YWiB family is growing and we have some exciting new positions! We are on the look-out for energetic & ambitious team players who are full of heart & excitement to further the goals of our organization.  You have to be smart, willing to learn and an awesome lady to work with. We are recruiting for the following positions [please click on the position names for a description of the role & responsibilities]:

A complete application includes:

  • your resume.
  • a cover letter that clearly states the position you are interested in.  it should also outline your motivation to join the YWiB team, relevant experience to the position you are applying for and the contributions you plan to make to young women in Vancouver.
  • filling out this my story template for us to learn more about you.

Applications are due by September 15th at 11:59pm – and should be emailed to info@ywib.ca with the subject field “YWiB Position Application – Position Name Here”."