Hello Ladies This summer, we're taking time to reflect on how we can bring you and your business forward. We'd love to hear directly from you: Which of these community formats sounds most valuable to you right now? Leave a comment if you have other suggestions. Thank you for voting!

Hello ladies! I need some help/advice. I want to choose an email marketing tool that I can use to open a wait list for a program I am running in the late summer, and then continue to use to build a list outside of Substack (my current newsletter) and I'd love to hear about which ones you use. I've been thinking of using Mailerlite, as my web designer suggested, but she also mentioned I need to register an official email address with my website domain and it seems a bit complicated and an extra cost. So, my question to you is, which email marketing do you use that is cheap and easy to set up? And if you have an email with your website domain, how/where did you get it? I am quite newbie to these matters so any input will be valuable! Thank you!! Ana

I was born in Barcelona and have called Portugal home for the past 5 years. My path here has been anything but linear, and I’ve come to see that as one of my biggest strengths. I spent over 25 years as a teacher, starting with preschoolers, then training in Montessori and founding a bilingual Montessori nursery at 28. Later I moved into teaching English to adults, specializing in in-company training. Alongside my career, life was teaching me its own lessons. I married at 22, had my son at 24, and divorced at 27. I’ve always been driven, curious, and hungry to grow, and even in my early twenties I knew there was more to life than working hard to pay the bills. I wanted to understand myself, my relationships, and what real fulfillment looked like. Years later, in a second marriage that also wasn’t right for me, I decided to train as a nutritionist; health has always fascinated me. At the same time, I started personal therapy with a Gestalt therapist, mostly to help me figure out whether to stay married or not. Three months in, I knew: Gestalt was my calling. I walked away from nutrition school and spent the next 3 years training as a Gestalt therapist. It changed everything. I’ve now been a therapist for 10.5 years, and I truly found my ikigai. Working 1:1 showed me how powerful this work is and also how limited my impact could be one client at a time. So I set out to build a group program that could reach more women. I’ve been developing it for the past 3 years; the women who’ve been through it have loved it, and I haven’t yet cracked how to bring it to a bigger group. I know in my bones this work can transform hundreds of lives — that’s the mission I’m here to fulfill. 🙏

Applications are now open for Europe and Central Asia in 14 regional languages and close on 1 September 2026. (https://eca.unwomen.org/en) What's the programme about: 🤝 Personalised 1-on-1 mentorship from experienced experts 📈 Business Bootcamps led by industry professionals 🌍 Connect and network with entrepreneurs from 10 countries 💻 Showcase your startup through an Online Exhibition 💡 Receive valuable feedback to strengthen your investment pitch 🏆 Pitch your business to real investors at Capital Quest – Spring 2027 Eligibility ✔️ MVP (Minimum Viable Product) stage ✔️ Early-stage startups with products already on the market ✔️ Growth-stage startups generating revenue Deadline: 1 September 2026 Apply here: https://airtable.com/appiXT1uuxgzmlSvC/shrkyphjyq0ALl5AJ/tblSLvZMTDcQri7y8

I’m Saru, a founder and translational oncology researcher based in Finland. I’m currently building a biotech startup focused on improving cancer drug delivery. I’m really happy to join this community and connect with new female founders. I’m looking forward to learning from your experiences, sharing ideas, and hopefully supporting each other along the way. Excited to meet you all! 💛