(Post by Brittney Lovdal)

I had the opportunity to attend wGBQ’s “Book Club Express” this week and enjoyed the experience far more than I was expecting! I generally scoff at the idea of a book club because I have never been much of a reader, but when I saw how relevant and interesting the articles were I decided to go. The focus was on women helping women and empowering women in the workplace. It was so nice to see over thirty professional women come together to talk about how to help each other, rather than compete. I grew up with the idea that not many women “make it” in the workplace, meaning I should view it as a competitive environment. Since coming to GBQ, this idea no longer exists for me. I am so thankful that I found a professional environment that encourages and empowers women.

Having spent little time in a professional environment, and still being new to GBQ, I was nervous going to the book club. Everyone was very friendly though, and included me in conversation. We split into small groups to talk about the articles, our own experiences working with women, and how we have felt either empowered or put down. It was inspiring hearing that everyone that works here only has positive stories about the opportunities they have been given.

It is great that we work in an environment where women are empowered and are seen as equals, but it is still important to recognize that this is not the case everywhere. At the end of the evening we talked about the key takeaways from our conversations. The general consensus was that we all need to be helping each other, acting as mentors, and that women cannot make the change alone – men also need to recognize that there is a divide and empower women.

If you’d like more information about wGBQ’s Book Club Express, please contact our facilitator Nicole Dulle at ndulle@gbq.com.

« Back