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December 27, 2019
Holiday Party at Da Radda Restaurant

On December 7, IPWA warmly invited all members and IPWA mentorship program participants to a free Holiday Meet and Greet at Da Radda Restaurant. Around 25 women attended and enjoyed good food, drink, and conversation. After about an hour of mingling and enjoying the holiday spirit, everyone selected a gift from under the tree and shared with the group their greatest accomplishment for the year. Members shared many proud personal and professional moments. We at the IPWA committee are proud of all our members and look forward to the events of 2020. Happy Holidays! 

December 27, 2019
Leveraging LinkedIn
A great group of women turned out for IPWA’s Leveraging LinkedIn: Modernizing the Santiago Job Hunt hosted on October 29 at Mason de France. It was an excellent event and most attendees were surprised at how many features LinkedIn has for its users, especially the ability to have an account in multiple languages. Montserrat Lorente, a Head Hunter and Career Coach gave the presentation and really opened everyone’s eyes to the many features of LinkedIn. She covered search terms, and how to really use LinkedIn to promote your own personal brand. Also, the event covered how to tailor a resume for the specific job application as well as the importance of soft skills, which many attendees already have a very important soft skill: knowing English. This was an wonderful event and we thank everyone who attended! 
 
December 27, 2019
Beer & Baile

On August 23rd, IPWA hosted Baile & Beer, an evening of Zumba and beer hosted at the brand-new Cardio Pilates (Apoquindo 4700) with beer provided by Tamango Brebajes (https://tamango.cl/). It was a great event, with excellent turn out. Everyone had a wonderful time sweating it out to great music, but also really enjoyed the post-work out snacks, beer, and conversation. Attendees were able to wrap up their week with a fun workout session and make new connections through IPWA. For those of you who enjoy a more active event such as this one, keep an eye out for a yoga and wine themed event in 2020!

August 23, 2019
Winter Social at De Radda Restaurant

On July 24th, IPWA along with the IPWA Mentorship Program hosted a Winter Social at De Radda Restaurant in Las Condes. 29 women attended the networking and mentorship event enjoying good food and drink while making connections and sharing professional experiences.  The networking was paused throughout the evening for facilitators Caitlin Wheat and Suvi Lemetyinen to ask questions of the mentors currently involved in IPWA’s Mentorship Program. They shared short insights and tips about when to seek a mentor and how to activate your inner mentor. They also provided examples of the power of female mentorship in the workplace. It was a great mid-winter event and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. We hope to see you at our next event!

~ Clare B.

 
July 4, 2019
Success or Struggle? Starting Your Santiago Business
On June 26, IPWA hosted three amazing and successful entrepreneurs who shared their experiences with IPWA members as part of “Success or Struggle? Starting your Santiago Business.” Our own Michelle Clarke moderated the event and facilitated a short interactive activity as well to conclude the event.
The event was the perfect atmosphere to ask deep questions about the highs and lows of starting a business in Santiago. Questions answered by the panel included:
  • Did you ever consider the possibility of giving up and starting over?
  • How do you cope with your fears? 
  • Why do you think Chile is considered a country for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and business owners?
  • How did you get your first client?
  • When did you decide to formalize your project? (from a legal perspective)
The entrepreneurs also shared with IPWA members that it can be very difficult at the beginning when starting a business. The panelists shared some tips of the trade including:
  • Find your niche and provide them a unique product/service
  • If you are working, try to keep your actual job while developing your own business. This will provide you a “safety net” that will allow you to pay your bills until your business is profitable.
  • Make a business plan! You may find some tips to develop one on the web, or you may look for professional advise (one of the IPWA members who was at the event is a professional consultant who may provide you this type of service).

Meet the Panelists

Maria Soledad Torres:  Maria Soledad is a forward-thinking lawyer and negotiator with progressive expertise in international business law and inmigration law. She provides legal advice and counseling. Her business web page is:www.legalglobal.cl

Leah Southwell:  Leah arrived in Chile 6 years ago without a plan for work. After a few years of experimenting she found a formula that worked and a market that she was perfect to service. Leah now has four people working with her and is doing well by Chilean standards. Her business web page is: executiveenglishnow.com

Gaby Jachuf:  Gaby is an attorney majored in Business Law, who has an entrepreneurial spirit. When she moved to Chile, she decided to set up her own business by doing what she is most passionate about: setting up events & celebrations. Gaby is in a sabbatical period due to her pregnancy and will join us to share her local experience.

In closing this was a really wonderful event that provided IPWA members with a secure space to share their experiences and ask the real questions about the unknown of starting a business in Santiago. We look forward to seeing you all at our next event on July 24.

June 5, 2019
Sustainable Santiago

Many IPWA members have asked for Barbara Alcayaga’s Powerpoint presentation.  We have shared it below for your reference.

January 31, 2019
January Event: New Year, New You – The Natural Way

To kick off 2019, IPWA hosted “New Year, New You, The Natural Way” with IPWA’s own committee member Caitlin Wheat speaking. Caitlin is a trained Naturopath who creates practical and personalized plans for her many clients. Around 20 women, including lots of new faces gathered to hear Caitlin’s expert tips about nutrition, health, and how to “re-frame” our new year’s resolutions. We also got to try many of Caitlin’s healthy and easy to make recipes including pesto, tumeric hummus, and protein bombs. At the end of the event, Caitlin did a cooking demonstration, showing us all how to make healthy chocolate mousse using bananas, avocados, and cacao powder. All of these recipes will be available on the IPWA facebook page and the IPWA website, so we can all incorporate them into our healthier 2019 eating habits. If you have questions or want to learn more about Caitlin Wheat and her work as a Naturopath contact her at caitlin@caitlinwheat.com. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next event! 

DOWNLOAD RECIPE PDFS

Chocolate Energy Balls
Turmeric hummus
Dairy-free Chocolate mousse
Vegan pesto

Contact Caitlin for more information

www.caitlinwheat.com

+56 9 4204 1006

Facebook: naturopatachile

January 10, 2019
Moroccan Twilight – December Event

IPWA recently hosted a members-only Moroccan Twilight event, celebrating the end of an amazing year!

A group of about 20 women and their guests joined together for an evening of conversation, delicious food, fun music, and camraderie before the holidays. Everyone was able to relax and enjoy the beautiful night and outdoor setting. Music was provided by DJ Claudio “XhuXhu” Munoz (http://djxhuxhu.cl) and catering by Mauricio Useche Torres of The Coolinist catering (@thecoolinist).

IPWA is already hard at work planning the 2019 lineup of events and are looking forward to seeing members old and new in the new year!

Menu provided by The Coolinist:

  • Smoked eggplant and tomato dip with Moroccan spices and pita bread chips – shared platters
  • Orange and olive salad with red onion and herbs
  • Chickpea stew with dates and lemon
  • Lamb and apricot tagine over cous cous with vegetables
November 15, 2018
Breaking the Expat Barrier with Carla Ducci

Carla is a well-known bilingual psychologist in the expat community and you could see she was very experienced when talking about the issues that expats face when living in Chile.

She was very open about her own story of growing up in the USA and the challenges of moving back to Chile and how that felt for her. This allowed the attendees to connect with her and felt safe to share their own experiences. This was followed by group work around the biggest challenges in relationships and everyday life that expats face. Most people found they had the same feelings around these topics and it was great to know that no one is alone in this.

Then coming together and reframing these stories was very empowering and great for changing perspectives on the challenges faced and breaking out of the negativity that often surrounds the expat life in a new country.

Camila, one of the attendees said that ¨the IPWA event had a great mindblowing sharing activity. We could express in a safe and openminded environment about our vulnerability when crossing cultural settings.¨

Not only was it a great learning experience but the workshop also generated a lot of connections between the attendees who all felt like they were in the same boat.  

October 5, 2018
September Event: Deb Derrick – The Long Road to Finding My Voice

And what a voice it is. Deb Derrick was a very engaging speaker, I could’ve sat there all night listening to her and her stories in that beautiful venue. She got very personal with us and delved into her history and about the memoir she is writing.

Deb had identified specific moments in her life where she was able to speak out and started to establish her voice. I was inspired not only by the hardship she has been through to end up doing the amazing things she has done, including being on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but just how she carries herself and the confidence with which she talks. Deb was also able to give us practical advice on finding our own voice and cultivating it.

She also gave some insight into a shared experience that I think a lot of expat women in Chile go through, including myself, which is having to move because of her husband’s job and how hard that made finding her voice and what she wanted to do with her life.

It was also wonderful to see around 20 other women there, and I was able to go around and speak with many of them, I just always wish there were more time to chat!

Thanks again for another great IPWA event, I’m looking forward to the next one.

 

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