Strong W.I.L.L.

Four years ago, I was having coffee with a new acquaintance. We were introduced because we both had consulting careers in education, as well as philanthropy. As we talked, we touched on the idea that there were many women like us who were successful but were working on their own, or the only ones in their particular role. We agreed that successful, independent women are often lonely and have few connections with others like themselves. We decided on the spot that we would form a group in Austin and surround ourselves with like-minded women. Women in Legacy Leadership, or WILL, was born on that day.

We each chose 6 members, had our first few meetings, and then my co-founder, Jenn Beck, took a new job and moved out of state. Most of her selections stayed on, as did mine and we continued to meet monthly, first at Blue Dahlia restaurant, then at the UT Club, and then we settled on 4-6 PM the last Thursday of each month at Juliet Italian Ristorante in Austin. During COVID, we have continued our meetings through ZOOM calls.

Over time, we added a few more select members and came up with guidelines for meetings and leadership based on that first vision. One is that each member have a unique professional role. Our members are authors, consultants, coaches, advisors, team leaders and more. Areas of expertise include education and philanthropy as well as communications, branding and marketing, strategic planning, development, research, media, team training and real estate—to name a few. 

Each month the meeting is led and the discussion topic chosen by a different WILL member. Our meetings include ‘check in’, a time for each of us to share what’s going on in our lives and receive support or direction if needed. Then we address the topic for the meeting, the best part. Every month we share our honest experiences in the safest environment imaginable. Each of us considers WILL to be a primary source, not only of friendship, but advice, guidance and wisdom. Our diverse topics have included: Life Altering Childhood Experiences, Your Best and Worst Decision, Inspiring Women Leaders, Intuition, Managing Change, Most Influential Books, Family Traditions, The Meaning of Grace and Faith Journeys, as well as taking and discussing the Enneagram and Strengths Finders assessments. And so much more.  

We’re about to enter our 5th year of convening, advising, sharing and caring. And I think we would agree, unanimously, that WILL is one of the best experiences of all of our lives. Women in Legacy Leadership indeed!