Who are you inviting in?
The SWE Entrepreneurs Affinity Group adopted me, and I'm so thankful!
I attended the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Conference (#WE23) with the hopes of making a few connections, seeing a few old friends, and applying learn-as-I-go approach to my first conference as a business owner.
What happened at that October 2023 conference far exceeded my wildest goals. The SWE Entrepreneurs Affinity Group (AG) team members, including Tricia Drake, Victoria Png, Wendy Anderson Cocke, and Joyann Hernandez, all reached out to me with open arms. I was invited to facilitate a panel before I had even arrived. I was joining AG for lunch before I could tell you what AG stood for, and I was helping connect and support aspiring entrepreneurs with the community before the end of the first evening. (And then i officially joined the next day).
Thanks to the proactive and inclusive nature of this vibrant community, I had the opportunity to meet numerous like-minded business owners, building lasting partnerships along the way. It's a testament to the power of taking that initial step and the incredible impact of a supportive network cheering you on.
Being highlighted in the SWE Entrepreneurs newsletter is an honor, and one more example of how lucky I am to have found this community.
If you ever get a chance to pull someone into your community, take a note from my experience.
Bring them in with open arms!
From the AG Newsletter:
Cassie Leonard (she/her) is the Founder and Principal Coach here at ELMM Coaching, an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and author of the bestseller, STEM Moms.
Cassie is a versatile professional - an engineer, author, and executive coach. With over a decade of experience as a working parent in a male-dominated industry, she has learned the value of mentorship, self-advocacy, and how to know when it's time to accept help from others.
Prior to founding ELMM, Cassie enjoyed a highly flexible self-directed 16-year career in aerospace engineering. She started as a structural engineer, took on unique challenges like aircraft delivery captain, dabbled as a chief engineer, and ultimately led a $600M business unit through a bottoms up cultural overhaul.
Cassie has the skills and experience to support leaders in all phases of their professional journey.
