Transitioning from a credit analyst to a commercial banker with Wells Fargo allowed Hanstad to view the monthly events in a new light. <\/p>\n
\"I'd moved to Fargo and started this new position and suddenly Women Connect became an opportunity to network with a large group of businesswomen,\" Hanstad says. <\/p>\n
But she wanted an even deeper connection with the women she would meet each month in the large group setting. <\/p>\n
That connection came in the form of a program called PUSH, which stands for \"Pursue Dreams, Unite Women, Shatter Barriers, Have Heart.\" <\/p>\n
The program is the brainchild of Carrie Carney and Chelsea Monda, two young professionals in the community who met through a mutual friend to discuss women's empowerment programs. <\/p>\n
More than a year ago, Carney, marketing director at Eventide, and Monda, a senior client consultant at Sundog, began meeting monthly at a local coffee shop to share expertise and ideas for creating a network of women gathering in a smaller setting. <\/p>\n
In January 2016, PUSH officially launched at the Women Connect event and soon after, Carney and Monda began receiving requests from women who wanted to be placed in a group. <\/p>\n
Hanstad was one of those requesters. She reached out to Carney for the email addresses of individuals who'd expressed interest in a group, and eventually her group grew to include nine women. <\/p>\n
\"It was like we were long-lost friends,\" she says. \"We all just got along so well and have connected to one another ... some of my very best friends in Fargo are people I met through this PUSH group.\" <\/p>\n
Hanstad's experience is common, Carney and Monda say. The placement of women in the groups is entirely random, and the ideal size for a group is eight people. The idea of being placed randomly eliminates any preconceived notions so new relationships can be established, Monda says. <\/p>\n
Since the program launched last year, 35 groups have been created with more than 200 women participating in them. Additionally, the PUSH Facebook group has nearly 400 members. <\/p>\n
Once a group is formed, members are provided with rules of engagement. Monda says the rules are a guideline for helping the group begin developing relationships among the members and not actually rules. <\/p>\n
Beyond the initial phrase of providing contact information and guidelines, Monda says PUSH groups are mostly self-managed and become a great outlet for women who want to achieve personal or professional goals. <\/p>\n
Carney and Monda have each set and achieved a number of goals since they formed their PUSH group. \"I've reached some goals I wouldn't have without this group,\" Carney says. For example, Monda set a goal to train for and run a 5K, and her PUSH group held her accountable to that goal. Carney changed jobs and used her PUSH group as a sounding board for issues associated with her new role. <\/p>\n
Even though PUSH is a sub-committee of Women Connect, you don't have to be a Chamber member to be in a group, Carney says. <\/p>\n
Women interested in joining can request to start a new group or be placed in an existing one. <\/p>\n
\"So many women are going out of their comfort zones and being placed randomly, but they have nothing to lose and everything to gain,\" Carney says. <\/p>\n
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Go here to read the rest:<\/p>\n
Pushing past barriers: Program aims to foster empowering female relationships - Grand Forks Herald<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Transitioning from a credit analyst to a commercial banker with Wells Fargo allowed Hanstad to view the monthly events in a new light. \"I'd moved to Fargo and started this new position and suddenly Women Connect became an opportunity to network with a large group of businesswomen,\" Hanstad says Continue reading