How to Ace Brunch

[social_warfare]

When I entered the room, I almost took a step back.  A room full of women intimidates the heck out of me.  But, it’s just brunch and with assigned seating, what could go wrong?

Venue

Earlier this year, I started a collaboration with The Ace Class.
They are an organization focused on building female networks to help each other thrive and foster connections.

Their ethos and those of this site are closely aligned.  We want to bring meaningful discussions to the forefront instead of leaving it as the elephant in the room.  We want to empower you with the tools and resources you need to go after what you want in life. And from my point of view, what better tools and resources is money to achieving your goals?

The Ace Class is in 6 Canadian cities and runs events in each city; events such as brunch and book club. And they have even started Master Classes to be rolled out across the country.

The Mains

So I signed up for a brunch event.  Their monthly brunch series is called Babes who Brunch which sounded right up my ally.  But when I entered the room, I felt my confidence drain away.  Some women had already arrived and were grouped by 3s and 4s already in conversation.  This was just like every networking event I’ve ever been to in a suit.

Why did I sign up to put myself through this, I asked myself.  On a Saturday no less! I wondered if I was dressed appropriately (no one cared) or judged not attractive enough (again, no one cared).  These are the common insecurities I get around women – brought on by the onslaught of media’s expectations.

Stereotypes and expectations often have more weight in our minds than the truth.  When I approached the nearest group of women, they naturally shifted their bodies to include me in their circle.

As soon as there was a break in the conversation, each woman turned to me to introduce themselves and asked me about myself.  It was instantly welcoming and with every group I approached.

Each brunch as a speaker and each shares their personal story of persistence and grit and vulnerability.  And as women, we are encouraged to take strength from other’s victories.  Again, this was a welcomed changed compared to the competitive environment I work in.

Refreshments

What was so refreshing about my experiences with The Ace Class and their events was the warm of the other women, just like me.

As a banker, I spend a lot of time around men.  There are more women in the industry than before, but the feel is still different. Finance is still heavily influenced by male dynamics.

By contrast to my day job, the brunch experience was also validated in that I got to see and hear women embracing the less traditional.  For example, I spoke to a woman at length about how she uses essential oils in her nutrition consulting business.

I had no idea those could be connected.  But there you go.

The organization believes that we each bring our own strengths into the group and without boasting too much, I will own my strength in the realm of money management and investing.

I write about it from a woman’s perspective and experience, because this topic is important to me and I believe this is a perspective we need more of in the Personal Finance space.  We need more female voices in our daily pressures with money so we know we are not alone and there are resources to help.

Dessert

So from time to time, I’ll be sharing my work for them with you as well, because these issues affect us all and even if you don’t check The Ace Class out (which I hope you do!) you can still benefit from what they are putting out into the universe.

I hope you check out the article below 🙂

https://www.theaceclass.com/posts/how-to-up-financial-literacy

And I hope you sign up for my email list to get helpful tips and resources sent directly into your inbox!

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