Branch’s Post

Women control 85% of consumer spending—how are you connecting with them? Learn how to better connect with the driving force behind consumer spending. Join us at the Women Who Lead Forum! https://lnkd.in/ez8z8VpT

Happy Monday, everyone! As we walk into a new month filled with significance and empowerment, let's shine a light on two important observances close to our hearts: Women's History Month and Endometriosis Awareness Month. 🚺 Women's History Month: Throughout March, myObMD.org will honor the extraordinary achievements and contributions of women who have shaped history and transformed our world. From trailblazing scientists to fearless activists, women have been at the forefront of progress, inspiring us all to dream, achieve, and advocate for equality. Let's celebrate the resilience, strength, and leadership of women everywhere! 💛 Endometriosis Awareness Month: March is also a time to raise awareness about endometriosis, a complex and often misunderstood condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, infertility, and other debilitating symptoms, yet it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Let's unite to amplify the voices of those living with endometriosis, advocate for better understanding and support, and work towards improved care and research. What are your thoughts on Women's History Month and Endometriosis Awareness Month? How can we continue to support and empower women, both in healthcare and beyond? Let's connect and inspire each other to strive for progress and equality.

Title: Calling All Inspirational Women: Share Your Story! As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re on a mission to spotlight the incredible achievements of women everywhere. But our journey isn’t complete without your story! We invite women from all walks of life to step into the spotlight and share their experiences, triumphs, and lessons learned. Whether you’re a pioneering scientist, a visionary entrepreneur, a passionate activist, or anything in between, your story has the power to inspire and uplift others. Together, let’s create a platform where every woman’s voice is heard and celebrated. Whether you’ve shattered glass ceilings, overcome personal obstacles, or simply made a difference in your community, your journey is worth sharing. Join us as we learn from each other, inspire one another, and empower women to reach their full potential. Together, we can create a world where every woman’s story is valued and celebrated. Submit your story today and be a part of the movement to uplift, encourage, and inspire women around the world. Because when women support each other, amazing things happen, and the possibilities are endless! To contribute, please fill out the Google Form linked below. We will reach out to gather more insights into your story:

Please join me, Ruchira Gupta, Shandra Woworuntu, Ioana Bauer and Heather Wokusch at an event hosted by WORLD WOMAN FOUNDATION on the margins of UNGA79 on 23 September at 10:15 am. Today there are more than 110 armed conflicts globally defined under international humanitarian law. Conflicts erode the rule of law, democratic values, gender equality and the core principles of human rights guaranteed by international legal instruments. While they are perpetrated by both state and non-state actors, the human cost especially to women and children is significant and has been accepted as an inexorable feature of conflicts. A key concern has been the growth in conflict related sexual violence as well as its interlinkage with human trafficking. Furthermore, researchers found that intensifying climate change will likely increase the future risk of violent armed conflict within countries, estimating that climate change or climate variability has influenced between 3% and 20% of armed conflict risk over the past century. Climate change induced migration has been linked to the risk of human-trafficking and modern slavery as well. This panel aims to provide a discussion of impact of human trafficking on women and girls. It will focus on conflict related sexual violence as a weapon of war and measures on developing prevention strategies, including on addressing the links between conflict related sexual violence, climate change and human trafficking. The discussions will focus on solutions to ensure that there is a clear accountability and action by the international community not to just the conflicts, but immediate and long-term human cost of conflicts. To attend, please register at: https://rb.gy/0eh54w

Get ready for an insightful conversation on empowering women in tech! 💪✨ Save the date!! #IWD2024 #WomenInTech #Mentorship #Allyship #DiversityInTech #bmcsoftware #BMCcares

Did you catch this phenomenal discussion hosted by WeBC in honour of international women’s day? watch it here:

How to escape the "Tiny Talk Trap"  🪤 When I moved to Toronto in 2008, I found myself without a social circle or professional network, and I soon realized that forming meaningful friendships as an adult was not easy. Although I would attend a different networking or community event almost every night, I kept having this deja vu of having to answer the same questions over and over. Can you guess which one? “So, what do you do?” I could feel my palms getting clammy as I faced person after person. As I was sharing my answer, I noticed the other person nodding politely, but I could see the disinterest in their eyes. A lot of these conversations would become dead ends because neither of us knew what to ask next. So, after an awkward silence that felt like hours, I felt obliged to ask them back: “So, what do you do?” They probably said something like, “I’m a lawyer or insurance broker,” or something similar… But I was not really listening to their answer because a voice inside me screamed for authenticity, for real connections - and this was not it! Looking back, I now describe this situation as the “Tiny Talk Trap” because I didn’t have the tools to escape this conversation. At the end of the event, I would feel extremely drained and leave with a stack of business cards from people I didn't remember. Introducing: Conversational Threads Today, I want to introduce you to one tool I wish I had back then. I recently learned that this was called “Conversational Threads” from  Vinh Giang 🙌 Here is how it works: When someone asks me, “Where are you from?” and I respond with “Heilbronn,” the conversation ends. Most people will not know what to ask next, so queue the awkward silence. But if I responded with: “I’m from Heilbronn, a small city in southern Germany in a vast wine region. There are vineyards and forests all around me—literally a 5-minute walk. After living in a condo in Toronto for 14 years, it was nice to come back to a quieter lifestyle and be closer to my parents with our 5-year-old son. What’s the difference? I’ve created multiple “threads” for you to pull in depending on what you find interesting. You could be asking me a follow-up question about the following: 🍷 Wine 🌳 Forests 🏢 Condo living 🇨🇦 Toronto 🧘♂️ Quiet lifestyle 👨👩👦 Family 👦 Parenting etc. This technique opens the conversation to help us find commonalities and shared interests.  Once we do, the conversation moves much smoother. Although this strategy won’t work every single time (after all, you’re not meant to connect with every single human on earth), it has dramatically changed my connections with new people I meet. I challenged everyone from last week's workshop with Nele Clüver and Arjanna van der Plas to try it at their next networking opportunity and report back! Why don't you join as well? Try it out and let us know how it goes 🙂 #beyondsmalltalk #smalltalkdetox #tinytalktrap #askdeepquestions

It's here! 🚀 Today, The Policy Circle proudly unveils "Women and Economic Freedom," our latest Brief created in partnership with SMU's Bridwell Institute. This comprehensive Brief delves into the research on women's economic opportunities, the balance between government and private sector roles, and strategies for increasing women's access to capital. Dive into this Brief to learn more and join the conversation on using policy to enable more women to flourish! https://bit.ly/3RPaBOX

Check out the latest blog post written by the incredible Prof. Lois M. Semenye, PhD., an Associate at WCIU's Women's Institute. Don't miss out on this powerful read. Click the link to dive into our latest post now! https://hubs.ly/Q02K6xlG0

Just a friendly reminder that I will be moderating a panel discussion on "The Impact of Remote Work in the Engineering Industry on Women's Effectiveness and Productivity"! If you are going to the 7th Transportation Research Board conference on Women and Gender in Transportation, please add this to your calendar! The panelists include April Rai, Alyssa Ryan, Avital Barnea, and Jennifer Toth! This will be a great conversation and I am looking forward to being involved in this discussion!