How Connecting with a Global Network of Women Transformed My Journey: The Power of Personal Connections and Support
With just under 60 days to go until the 2024 FCEM World Congress in Sydney, we’re thrilled to bring you an exclusive look into the excitement through the eyes of Liz Ward, WCEI National President Elect!
In this video, Liz opens up about her personal journey, the profound impact of her global connections, and the inspiration she draws from this remarkable network.
Join Liz as she reflects on how being part of this vibrant community has transformed her career and enriched her life. 🌍 Get ready to be inspired and see why connecting with 500 dynamic women from around the world is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.
Transcript
Liz Ward
It was being with these women that inspired me to do it, to actually start my own business in 2015 I don’t know whether I would have or not. I may have gone on to another corporate role, but honestly, I thought if I keep being with them, this is a support network for me as I go on this journey. I have lifelong friends now who I have made connections with. That’s such a gift, isn’t it, to have that and if I if I’d not show an interest in the organisation or attending those events, I wouldn’t know what I was missing. I know when I am face to face, physically with other women, and we really are open and sharing, then you get the dopamine. I don’t get that on Zoom. So I think it is about physically being together and that exchange, that there is actually a hormonal response to that that makes you feel very happy and satisfied, and that’s just a human thing, and you can’t get that in two dimensions. You can’t give someone a hug in two dimensions.
Once you engage in an organisation like this, that’s when you really start to see the benefits come back. I’ve been a member of women chiefs of enterprise in Australia for 12 years, and I do believe that we are all stronger as beings if we work together and help each other. So I think the values of the organisation, you know, they’ve stood the test of time for close to 80 years now that women are still seeking that support from other women, particularly when they’re at the top, it can be very lonely in terms of the responsibility that sits on your shoulders so To have somebody else to be able to confidentially rely on, to share your challenges or to seek their advice or just to be inspired by them. That is such a valuable thing that we all give each other as engaged members of women chiefs or the global organisation FCEM. It’s the accidental things that happen when you put yourself in that position.
Expect the unexpected. You don’t know who this amazing person is, who you’re standing in the group with, who could own multinational organisations and be an incredible business leader, and beside her, maybe somebody who has a very creative micro business and size does not matter in this community, everyone is ready to learn from each other And to support each other. It’s a wonderful experience.