Welcome, all you fabulous women, to the brand new, shiny and sparkly, MAWBBlog! Every month there will be a recap of the monthly Meet Up and some of the other in-person MAWB events for all the members that are unable to attend. While the facebook group is incredibly active (more about that later), sometimes life and other obligations make it hard to get out to the events. This blog is going to keep everyone involved, virtually.
Welcome To The MAWB!
The first order of business is to let everyone know what the MAWB is about. The MAWB is Mississauga and Area Women in Business, a networking group for women entrepreneurs from Mississauga and the surrounding communities. Whether they’re solopreneurs, employees of a larger organization looking to expand their network, or someone with an MLM as a side hustle or their 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.
Despite the bad weather, 49 of the 68 registrants braved the bad road conditions and made it out to the meeting, with 10 new members in attendance. In honour of Valentine’s Day everyone was asked to wear red, and boy, we delivered! Shirts, sweaters, scarves, pants—red was everywhere. It made for a really stylish group photo.
Speaking of new members, as our fearless MAWBBoss, Christine Hull, was welcoming us all and running through the group Facebook metrics from the last 28 days, she mentioned we had 75 new members to the group this past month, taking us up to a total of 1350+ members. I can’t get over that. At the beginning of the year, when Christine took over the administration of an inactive Facebook group, there were about 50 members. It’s amazing how quickly this group has grown. Another impressive statistic is the participation rate in the group is at 80%, which is phenomenal for a Facebook group page. MAWBsters are enquiring, engaged, encouraging, and enthusiastic.
Christine introduced two new members to the MAWB Team: your friendly, neighbourhood Blogger, Xanthe LeBlanc (that’s me!), and Karen Grant, who is starting a group-within-the-group, MAWB Get Fit. This is not a fitness group in the traditional sense. It will be MAWBsters supporting MAWBsters with words of encouragement, sharing what they’ve done to meet their goals, and motivational ideas. If you’re interested, please message Karen directly.
Photos by: WaFa Fahad Photography
: (416) 305-3337
Facebook: facebook.com/waafahad
Instagram: instagram.com/wafaahad
Upcoming Can’t-Be-Missed Events
While a lot of MAWB Activity takes place online, with the daily postings from our lovely and talented Admin, Laura Plummer, and also from our many members posting selfies from coffee dates, requests for recommendations, or just sharing their lives, we have several activities each month so we can meet face to face with the names we see on-screen. Information about upcoming events can be found in the Events tab of the Facebook page, but here are some highlights:
- MAWB Evening Meet Up, February 25
- MAWB Evening Social & Networking Event, March 5
- MAWB Meet Up, March 20
Please be aware that space is limited for a lot of the activities and they’ve been filling up fast, so make sure you pay and register early to reserve your spot.
The biggest thing to hit the MAWB, though, is the MAWB Retreat, taking place at Clonmel Castle in Port Dover, April 26, 27, and 28. OMG, ladies, this is going to be incredible! We will have the entire property to ourselves, we will be fed well and constantly, it would appear, and we have activities and breakout sessions galore! You have to go and check out the details. It’s already half booked, so don’t hesitate on this.
The Conscious Communicator
Fazeena Haniff
Founder, Communications Coach + Consultant The Conscious Communicator
: hello@theconsciouscommunicator.ca : 416-529-1866
: www.theconsciouscommunicator.ca
Fellow MAWBster Fazeena Haniff gave a fantastic presentation about “What You Didn’t Know You Needed To Know About Communication.” My big takeaway was 93% of our communication is nonverbal—volume, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language all play a role in how your message is received. These factors need more attention from us and are the reason for mixed messaging. If you want to learn more, contact Fazeena for a coffee date and a complimentary session. You can also learn more by attending her workshop, “Closing the Communication Gap,” on February 26.
Christine facilitated a breakout session on communication afterwards. I was really lucky to participate with two new members during the breakout—shout out to Wafa Fahad, who took some wonderful photos of the Meet Up, Melissa Fasolino, and Cathy Bochnak. Christine had a list of ten questions about communication for us to discuss within our group. You can find the list here. Check it out and work through the questions, either on your own or on your next coffee date. They really help put the focus on all the non-verbal cues you give and receive. Everyone know what bugs them when they’re listening to someone else speak, but we don’t recognize the non-verbal cues we give off. It’s time to get introspective.
We wrapped up with some final words of wisdom from Christine: Talk Kindly To Yourself. So important, but so often left undone. Talk to yourself the way you talk to someone you love. Get out there. Meet people Have coffee dates, have non-coffee dates. Support yourself the way you support your family, your friends, and your MAWBsisters. You’ve Got This!
Have a great month! Talk to you all soon.
