Resilience beneath the surface
Trees grow in two directions. I came across that thought a while ago, and it stayed with me. In autumn, we watch leaves fall and branches stand bare, as if the trees have lost their strength. But much of their life is happening out of sight: roots hold firm, drawing...
A change of perspective
September brings a subtle shift. The intense heat of summer begins to soften, the light changes, and we are gently invited to bridge the spaciousness of summer with the cooler, more focused energy of autumn. As women running our own businesses, we can be so focused on...
September Networking summary: Your Business Through Your Lens
On 24 September 2026 we had a wonderful and engaging evening with our speaker, Vinita Salomé, who shared her inspiring photography journey and introduced us to powerful ways to enhance our business presence through imagery. Vinita highlighted the common issue of...
Mastermind: What 90 Minutes with Six Women Entrepreneurs Taught Me About Real Collaboration
Last week, our WBII mastermind group held its first official meeting, attended by six women from diverse fields: custom storage, Feng Shui, artisanal baking, event design, writing mentorship, and strategic HR and consulting. At the beginning, I didn't know how well...
From summer break to fresh energy
August is the final stretch of summer. Some of us are already slowly returning to our work routine, while others are still enjoying a well-deserved break. If you are on holiday or about to be, fully embrace it. Put your phone away, forget the schedule, wake up without...
The voices behind WBII
Every story shared, event promoted, and member celebrated by WBII has people behind it. Across our newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, WBII communications connect our members with a growing audience in The Hague and beyond, sharing the knowledge,...
June Networking Summary: Focusing on the Broodfonds
A bread basket for the unexpected illness/incapacity moments At our June networking event, we heard from our former Vice Chair and long-time member, Dymphna Elsink, who gave a highly informative presentation on financial safety nets for self-employed individuals in...
Trusted Spaces
It is sometimes a bit of a challenge to think about things to write about for an issue of the WISE. However, this past month the topic came fairly easily. At our May event with Marjolein van der Kruk – which you can read about in this issue – a moment was created...
May Networking Summary: Bouncing Forward, versus Bouncing Back: building resilience and more after adversity
May networking event with Marjolein van der Kruk We often hear the term ‘bouncing back’ – referring to coming back from a challenge we faced. In contrast, Marjolein asked us to consider ‘bouncing forward’, beyond where we were when the challenge confronted us to gain...