Welcome to the blog, everyone! The second MAWB Evening Meetup happened, and it was happening! Just to reintroduce ourselves, the MAWB is Mississauga and Area Women in Business, a networking group for women entrepreneurs from Mississauga and the surrounding communities. Whether you’re a solopreneur, an employee of a larger organization looking to expand your network, or someone with an MLM as a side hustle or your main source of income, MAWBsters, as we refer to ourselves, come together to support and encourage each other, share ideas, and foster real relationships amongst members.
Girl Bands
A lot of the ladies were first-timers to a MAWB event, so as an ice breaker Christine Hull, our fearless and inspiring MAWB Boss, handed out coloured elastic bands upon arrival for us to wear around our wrists. The idea is to find your colour matches and form a band (get it?) of women for networking. Everyone in these small breakout groups has the chance to introduce themself and talk about their business, and then conversation between the groups ensues. I was in a group with Tasia Keeng, an old friend, from Lovelight Home Design, Cheryl Martin Goncalves from Soul Spark Transformations and Coaching, Stephanie Johnson with DoTerra, and Farhee Chundrigar, a visual artist. These are wonderful women who are passionate about their businesses, and you should consider reaching out to them for coffee dates. I know I am looking forward to getting to know them better.
Our speakers/presenters for the evening were Linsey Denham, with Bach Flower Remedies, www.bachflowerconsultsonline.com, and Elvira Hopper who is a multi-discipline energy healer and Mindset coach, www.elvirahopper.com. Linsey will be leading a session on self-calming through breathing techniques and a group meditation. Elvira will be doing a Sound Bath, which I am insanely curious about! But first, a word from our sponsor…
Dance Like Everyone is Watching
Well, not sponsor, let’s call her our gracious hostess with the mostest—MaryLou Dabon, owner of the DanzAlma Dance Academy, where we were having the Meetup. It’s a beautiful, large open space where students of all ages can learn Latin dance. They have also have a fun side hustle (see what I did there?) teaching wedding parties dance routines for their reception parties. If you know anyone getting married in the near future, send them to MaryLou so they can get their dance on. Check out her website at www.manydabon85.wixsite.com/website or the Facebook Page DanzAlma Dance Academy. I must also note, at this point, that the dress code for the evening was casual. Very casual. We were all wearing our most comfy yoga and athleisure wear. (To digress a moment, I have to say I love that term—athleisure. It is a masterstroke of marketing genius. It gives the impression of athletic pursuits, but gives up and sits on the couch watching movies and eating grapes.) Yoga mats were also de rigeur, because there was a lot of lying down and relaxing in the plan for the evening.
Before we moved on to the feature events we took a short break for Door Prizes! Yaaaay! Our Door Prize sponsors for the evening were Linda Edmond Brassard, Independent Scentsy Consultant, who provided a warmer and scent bars won by Elvira Hopper; Lena Ramnarine, with Fifth Avenue Collection (www.fifthavenuecollection.com/lenar), who provided a beautiful bracelet won by Stephanie Johnson; and Jamie Grant from ZED Holistic Touch (www.zedholistictouch.ca) provided a gift certificate for a Facial Reflexology session valued at $40, won by Tasia Keeng. I won’t say I‘m not a little bit jealous of that one—I had to cancel the appointment I booked with Jamie and I haven’t rebooked yet. I need to get on top of that. It sounds like a divine experience.
On Your Toes
One thing you have to be as an entrepreneur, is flexible. You have to go with the flow and roll with the punches. When life throws you a curveball, you have to learn how to adapt. Our curveball of the evening was the music. The was an adjoining dance studio holding classes that night that really threw the plans into disarray. Meditation and Sound Baths don’t go well with a side of EDM (that’s Electronic Dance Music for those of you who don’t live with teens). Being the consummate professional she is, Christine recognized this and changed the schedule on the fly. Elvira Introduced herself, sang her jingle (Get out of your eff’n way! Jazz hands!), and handed out some door prizes won by Robin Brown, with Monat, who chose a necklace; Cheryl Goncalves, who got some french macarons; and me! I chose a beautiful pair of sterling silver earrings. I will take a second here, to mention that among the many hats Elvira wears, one of them is jewellery maker, and she had a large selection to choose from. We then did another networking breakout and the room came alive with the sounds of women talking, laughing, and bonding. With a side of EDM.
When a break in the music came, Linsey Denham jumped into action, which is an overly active way to describe a session on Mindful Meditation and how it helps her and her clients with self calming. As an aside, her husband doesn’t like it—”it makes him think too much.” Lying on our yoga mats, breathing deeply, with eyes closed, she gave very simple instructions, directing us to be aware of individual body parts, one at a time. A guided meditation like this helps you focus your thoughts, instead of having random thoughts that grow arms and legs and get out of control. Linsey teaches that mindfulness is about taking the time to live in the moment and enjoying the small pleasures in life without letting outside things interfere. As a reminder to breathe and be mindful in the moment, Linsey presented us all with a small but powerful gift: a row of sticky dots. The idea is to place them in various places around your environment where you might feel stressed. When you catch sight of them it’s your reminder to take a moment, breathe deeply, and focus your thoughts to destress. This is such an easy trick for all of us. I’m sure most of us have some sort of stickers in the house we can use if you don’t have dots. I am putting some on the sun visor of my car.
Work Circle
Once again having to change plans on the fly because of the loud music from next door, Christine set up a 30-minute Speed Networking Circle, hoping the classes would be finished soon. Two circles, facing each other, the inner circle static, the outer circle rotating, giving everyone a chance to chat.
Sound Bath
Finally, after we were technically over time, Elvira started the Sound Bath experience. The concept behind a Sound Bath is music is healing and our bodies react to the vibrations from the music. Initially, she created beautiful sound waves using her giant crystals bowl and a huge pestle; she also plays a variety of different instruments and sings and chants.It generates a beautiful, relaxing atmosphere. So relaxing, I’m pretty sure a few people were sleeping. You know who you are! 🙂 I don’t know what it’s called, but the box that makes sounds like a rainstorm was the coolest. I’d like one of those.
For a proper Sound Bath experience, Elvira offers monthly sessions in her home. Please go and check out her website, www.elvirahopper.com, for more information.
Coffee Klatch
So go forth, MAWBsters, and make your coffee dates. But, before you go, think about this: What is my ask? It’s not about getting people to buy your product or join your team. It’s about Likes/Comments/Shares. It’s about following people on Social Media. Signing up for a newsletter or following a blog. Work with your MAWBsisters to spread the word about their business. Remember, you reap what you sow. Go forth and plant, my sisters!
