Uplifting women is crucial for fostering a more inclusive society where diverse talents and perspectives can be celebrated. At AMEND, one of our core values is that “we are invested and win together.” Bettering our community has always been a main component of who we are as a team and has directly translated into our involvement with MadTree Brewing’s Ascending Women Series.
What is the Ascending Women Series?
For the past two years, AMEND has been a proud sponsor of the Ascending Women Event Series hosted at MadTree Brewing Company. Ascending Women is monthly speaker series that involves strong, inspiring women who have overcome big challenges. It has been an opportunity to connect, learn from, and grow with each other.
Since the series was created in 2022, AMEND has sponsored 12 events at MadTree. Within these events, over 500 members of the community have been able to hear the stories of 38 remarkable women. According to MadTree’s Impact Report, in 2022 alone, $7,660 was raised for the nonprofit 1% for the Planet.
Ascending Women was started to allow AMEND, MadTree, and other community members to learn from amazing female leaders around Cincinnati. It has been a great space to collaborate with like-minded people and businesses, hold up the voices of women, and spread impact. Every event is unique and features a new set of panelists and discussion theme. Some of the previous themes have been: Self Love, International Women, Connecting with Nature & Each Other, and Pride.
This year, we held our second annual Internal Ascending Women event:
Last summer, AMEND and MadTree launched our first “Internal Ascending Women Event.” This event included a panel of two ladies from the AMEND team, and two from the MadTree team. We continued to build the momentum of spotlighting our teams this year as well, by having the following panelists:
- Kelci Ruscello – Senior Analyst, AMEND Consulting
- Kiara Shaw – Prep Cook, MadTree Brewing
- Laura Strahlendorf – Kentucky Sales Manager, MadTree Brewing
- Leslie Nienhaus, VP of People, AMEND Consulting
The theme of our internal event was “Finding Your Worth,” which was about understanding and appreciating the unique strengths, experiences, and talents that make each person remarkable. This event served as a reminder that worth is not determined solely by external factors, but rather by recognizing the intrinsic value that resides within you.
The panelists left us feeling inspired and motivated
All four panelists inspired the crowd to find their worth in every aspect of their lives, work towards setting goals that magnify their values, and utilize their worth as a force for positive change. A few highlights from the speakers include:
- Kelci: “Put yourselves in hard situations to grow and know your worth.”
- Kiara: “My daughter is my worth.”
- Laura: “Put yourself first and remind yourself that you are capable.” & “Self-reflecting and thinking back to how far I have come gives me more confidence.”
- Leslie: “Confidence until you conquer.” & “Root your worth in your values.”
By providing a platform for these amazing women, we can learn from their lived experiences and have an opportunity to grow and develop our community further.
