A few weeks ago, a few of us at the Gentlewomen’s Club received an e-mail from one of our members. She had followed an online event for International Women’s Day where she had the opportunity to interact with a high-level professional woman who shared her experiences about gender biased behaviour at work and recommended some ideas …
From the leading party offices to the city Cathedral and the Curia residency, which is the body governing bishops – people all over Poland chose this route to march in protest against the recent judgment of the Polish Constitutional Court. 60 cities were protesting on Friday and many more joined on Saturday. Hundreds gathered in …
Dear fellow gentlewomen, For my #GWCBookClub reading I would like to introduce two very different (short!) books by two very different women… I chose one of the few works of Judy Blume for adults, “Wifey”. As an author she built her career on writing for children and teenagers. She was a favorite of mine growing …
If you ever consider running for public office, remember (1) to be the most amazing courageous yourself and try it!; and (2) to keep tribes like GWC close to you – it’s the magic ingredient to making it a great experience. Having run in 2019 European elections was one of the most difficult, impactful and …
I was halfway across the world in a shabby Airbnb, somewhere in suburban Boston. It had been a week of intense meetings. I was staring pointedly at the screen – there in black and white text was my medical note issued by my GP for burnout. It had been sitting in my Inbox for two …
The story I want to tell you today is one that you don’t hear very often. Actually you might rarely stumble on a story like mine. Most stories of this type are taboo and people usually struggle with talking about this topic. Today I want to talk to you about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and my …
How many times have you been in rooms full of women discussing gender equality matters among themselves and very much agreeing with each other on the trillion things that need changing in order to achieve full equality? It’s high time we changed this echo chamber mentality and focused on inclusive and meaningful conversations. At the …
The Gentlewomen’s’ Club Bucharest Hub is looking for a new Community leader to relaunch in the city. The GWC Bucharest Hub is one of the GWC’s first Hubs after its foundation in Brussels 2017. It currently has approximately 80 members in and around Bucharest. In order to be able to create a well established, thriving …
There are few things in life more nerve-wracking than a new job. Everything is new. You don’t want to stand on anyone’s toes. You want to fit in and be liked. You want your skills to be valued, and you want to be considered essential as soon as possible. You want that cloud of “have-I-done-this-right?” …
By @Ania I have come back to work recently from my maternity leave in a large, generally women friendly, multinational corporation. Friends and colleagues often commented my transition from maternity into working mum looked pretty effortlessly. While I appreciated the compliments, I have sometimes felt in those early weeks that I am trying to juggle …
Hi, I am Annieke and I am a recently relapsed bookworm. After a ten year hiatus, I recently rediscovered reading and I haven’t been able to put my e-reader down, devouring one book after another. One of my favourite finds so far is Laurie Frankel’s This Is How It Always Is. It’s an absolute gem, …
We were having a celebration in my office and I had promised to bring in something sweet to my co-workers the following day. So I decided on a rum and raisin cake. Something I had never tried before, but which seemed both simple enough to pull off without too much struggle and yet complex enough …
This month at #inspiredbywomen we sit down with Nina Cummins, accomplished telecoms regulatory lawyer who is truly passionate about all things tech and can discuss spectrum auctions for hours. Also dear colleague, friend and mentor. Currently working at Bahrain Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, but that’s only the beginning of her many adventures. Nina, you are now …
I held my 30 under 30 certificate and smiled for the camera. Everyone was so happy and proud that my efforts in building and heading up the mobile marketing agency for an advertising conglomerate in London had been recognised. For a reason I couldn’t quite pinpoint I wasn’t as thrilled and just wanted to leave …
I first came across Dolly Alderton through the High Low podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow journalist Pandora Sykes. I had recently discovered podcasts in general (yes I was living under a rock) and became a regular listener, binging the back log in the process as well. On one of the episodes, Dolly mentioned that …
Two years ago, dressed in suffragette white and addressing a cheering convention, Hillary Clinton stood for a possibility. That day anyone, including her, had a chance of becoming the next President of the United States. Now she is a reminder of the limit women continue to confront — in politics and beyond. Although it is …
The other day, I was talking to my husband about what lessons and skills we need to pass on to our daughter. We got onto the subject because I was pleased that she is getting involved in one of the few non-gender separated sports that her male PE teacher is leading. As an aside, he …
On the cover of the Guilty Feminist book there’s a note from Emma Thompson which says “essential reading for the planet”. And I couldn’t agree more. In a world where feminism is no longer a dirty word, where you even have men parading around in their “I’m a feminist” t-shirts, the concept guilty feminism rings …
As I am writing this, I am reflecting on my past few months of dating starting before the summer break and now well into the winter. Because of my work life with long hours, clocking in my 6 hours of French course per week after work as well as trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle …
Gentlewomen’s clubs around the world were formed under the belief that women of all ages, backgrounds, and occupations have similar questions and milestones to address in life. They are fun and safe communities for women to express their views and support each other in a non-judgmental environment, both personally and professionally. Five women united with …
I have what most people will call a full life. A wonderful relationship, a loving, healthy family, about a trillion friends, many of which I can call close. I have a reputable career, a great education, and am involved in many activities I find meaningful, impactful and fulfilling. I have whatever most would call a …
On 30 September, the Gentlewomen’s Club took part at Race for the Cure, a Charity Run organised by Think Pink, an organisation that asks for more attention to breast cancer and the need for regular checks. Money collected through this fundraising exercise goes to breast cancer research. GWC did this run for the third time, …
One morning a few months ago, I read, somewhere on social media, a powerful personal testimony of a friend of mine. He wrote this long post about his struggle with heartbreak, body image and depression. I remember thinking to myself: how incredibly brave to open up like that to everyone out there. And yet, the …
December 2017. On a flight home for Christmas, I started reading Hillary Clinton’s latest book, ‘What Happened’. When I packed my luggage the night before, I thought that would make perfect holiday reading. Except that nobody told me the first hundred pages were going to be the most heart-wrenching read ever. I spent the three …
Our first workshop of September was very much an experiment. Like most of our event ideas, this was born out of one of our member’s passion and determination to contribute to our cause. I have known Kelly for a long time. When we re-connected recently, we have discovered we share much of the same drive …
Last weekend, the Gentlewomen’s Club Team took part in the Relay for Life, a festive event that focuses on solidarity and fund-raising for the fight against cancer. Over 24 hours, from 2pm on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday, our team has relayed, either walking or running, to raise funds for the cause. Two of our …
Today, we are launching our first cross-hubs initiative, an online Book Club to support female writers and encourage discussions on ideas, content and authors. One of our members will designate a book and we will be given two months to read it. On the last week of the second month, the lead member will start …
Last week we were delighted to host our first movie night for members of our Club. We decided to start this series with Battle of the Sexes – describing the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. We could not choose a better movie. In the wake of the sexual revolution and …
The London chapter of the Gentlewomen’s club (GWC) is officially open! Since the beginning of the year, while most of the city was reminiscing over the festive fun and figuring out frugalities associated with January, four Gentlewomen were busy plotting the launch of The Gentlewomen’s Club in London. Feminism, friendship and a fondness for good …
Six months have passed since I started actively looking for a new job. So this topic of changing the career path got my interest big time as this most recent period has not been easy at all – both from the financial and psychological point of view. When the “young & restless” gets eventually tired …
A couple of weeks back, a friend at Google emailed us to pass on an invitation to an event they were hosting over lunch with Miriam Gonzalez. I must admit I did not know who Miriam Gonzalez was at the time, but the lunch talk was going to be about girls in tech, and that’s …
“The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet” – Adrienne Rich Our club is founded on building a no-judgement zone where women support women so naturally we wanted to have a discussion to explore why women judge, and importantly, what’s the …
Someday in September, Ovidiu, a friend of mine, sent me a link saying “I guess these ladies are looking for you, girl”. My cheeks got red immediately cuz the link was saying Looking For Inspiring Ladies To Set Up The Bucharest Hub Of The Gentlewomen’s Club. Two weeks later I had my first meeting with …
We hope that you are enjoying your Christmas holidays, we definitely are! When the weather outside is a bit gloomy and not too tempting to go outside (as it is now the case in Brussels), it might be a nice thought to spend your day huddled up at home, watching movies over a cup of …
It’s a Friday evening in December, just before the first big snow of this winter. On the first floor of Le Seventy-Five, a small and cosy bar in Brussels’ Sablon quarter, we are hosting our first ever Christmas Party. Old and new members, as well as the founders, Ania, Steph and myself gathered for a …
On a chilly – yet sunny – November morning, Andreea, Lidija, Maike, Vitis and myself headed out to Hoeilaart, to try out a new experience about which we knew fairly little and had no idea what to expect. Vanessa, a gentlewoman herself, a good friend and a former colleague, kept telling me stories about hippotherapy …
In our Gentlewomen’s Club, we are constantly focusing on creating a judgement-free zone for women. When we were exchanging ideas about the club, it became clear that we wanted to create a space for ladies that strongly believe in the concept of women supporting women. We have since been extremely happy to discover that plenty …
On Sunday 19th of November, another running team under the leadership of our team captain, Ksenija Simovic, took to Foret de Soignes to participate in the Uccle Ladies Run. On a sunny yet chilly weekend morning, our ladies ran 3.6 or 9 km in the forest. All registrations fees were donated to organizations working with …
On October 18th, we hosted our first ever Girls Night In. We had a wonderfully powerful discussion with our friend and coach, Vicky Martinez Dorr, who has guided us through the labyrinth of our past and current selves. How much does who you were matter in who you are? And how much can you influence who …
On September 10th, The Gentlewomen’s Club organised another running team, this time racing and collecting money for the cure to breast cancer. The yearly Race for the Cure is the world’s largest event for the fight against breast cancer. This sporting event was born in 1983 in Dallas and was created by the largest US …
Dear Men, News has started to uncover a sad truth that resonates deeply with many women’s personal experience: the extent and impunity of sexual harassment. There are no excuses and we should denounce those abject and inappropriate behaviours with every breath. I am sure that many of you while reading the news are feeling horrified, worried for your mother, sister, wife, daughter, friend, …
Last week, we had the privilege of having a lunchtime discussion with Ursula Burns on how to build a path for success and deal with specific challenges that women may face in their careers. Ursula Burns is no stranger to dealing with challenges. She was raised in a New York housing project and was one …
I team che lavorano al sole sono i piú forti ! Because even the strongest of women need a sun break. The Gentlewomen’s Club jetted off to Venezia from Brussels and London for our first team building since the launch of our ambitious project in April 2017. Our trip was spent meandering the narrow streets of the island, …
Half a year since we have launched the Club in Brussels, we are now coming to Bucharest. Are you – or do you know someone who is – passionate about women empowerment, with some spare time and with a ton of ideas? Then please fill in this form or share it with your friends and contacts https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_sbKRcxiIsmTKNJR6VjcN2y2WnaTOcyV7ujcf0fTB8c/viewform?edit_requested=true …
Someone recently asked me why feminism was still an important issue for women today. So, after a lengthy debate on all of the many many reasons why I felt that there was still so much that we needed to change, I thought, why don’t we take this question to our members and see what they …
On June 22nd, we held our summer edition of the Girls Night Out, at La Terrasse O2, a pop-up restaurant and bar in a very pretty and green neighbourhood of Uccle. Perfect setting and great summer weather to welcome back some of our friends and SEVEN new club members!
Getting to know each other was easy, with our ice-breaking game, where only Kayla and Jess managed to guess first the lie among the 2 truths/1 lie game. We found out that Audrey was never blonde (there’s still time to try it out!), Jess has a much much younger brother (as in more than 15 years younger!) and Brianda used to live in Saudi Arabia (for five years!).
To make the evening even better, Ozlem, our London-based co-founder, flew in to join us and meet all our fabulous members.
This was a great way to kick off the summer season and we are already working on the autumn schedule of events! We wish you all fabulous holidays and stay tuned for more fun, starting in September!
In the past few years, there’s been some high-profile cases of mansplaining, including for example an episode of Project Greenlight, when Matt Damon ‘explained’ diversity to a black female producer, Effie Brown. But, of course, most instances of mansplaining don’t make the global news and can be interpreted as being subtle. They can vary from …
This spring, our wonderful team of runners have trained hard and succeeded in finishing the 20k of Brussels on May 28th, in awfully hot conditions. Antwerp, Brussels and Sibiu (Romania) are just a few of the cities they took part in preparation runs, ahead of the 20k. Our team has raised funds for Plan International’s …
On April 26th, we organised our Girls Night Out, the first one since the creation of the Gentlewomen’s Club. We had a super fun and yummy dinner at Pre de Chez Nous, a new gem in the city center that we totally recommend. A great big square table and a whole room for ourselves, plus …
