Written by Krystal Jugarap
From Milwaukee with Love: EM/POWEREDbyWMN’s Dinner Party Celebrates Women in Business – EM/POWEREDbyWMN is celebrating their recent expansion into Milwaukee! Community Directors, Haley Thomas and Kate Spitz, hosted a beautiful Girlhood & Gathering dinner party for 25 creative, ambitious, and entrepreneurial women in the greater MKE area. The women in attendance enjoyed a curated eggplant lasagna, Thai crunchy salad, veggie platters with beet hummus, fruit, and the most incredible lemon meringue dessert — lovingly put together by Monica Hidalgo, founder of Eat Pretty Please.
During the evening, the women joined in conversation about the spirit of community, building the foundation for beautiful relationships and partnerships to come. At EM/POWEREDbyWMN, stuffy networking parties are out and genuine connections are in! Attendees connected over ideas of collaborations and the mission and heart behind each woman’s business. They even had a burn book to document and release any bad business advice that they no longer wanted to listen to.
This is what community is all about. This is what EM/POWEREDbyWMN is all about and Haley and Kate are excited to continue sharing EBW’s mission to support even more female professionals and founders and rewrite the narrative for what it means to be a woman in business. What’s next in this region? More dinner parties, of course, along with transformative workshops, intimate networking events, weekly strategy calls, and so much more.
Gone are the days of competing against one another, gatekeeping out of scarcity’s sake, or feeling alone in navigating the nuances and challenges of business. There is so much power in breaking bread over shared experiences and recognizing that we truly are in this together, through the major wins, in the most difficult moments, and everything in between.
Many entrepreneurs are true beacons of resilience. So, we asked the women in the EM/POWEREDbyWMN community, what adversity have you faced in your journey and how did you overcome it to get to where you are today?
Relocating to California was a dream until I found myself battling workplace discrimination and severe anxiety in the corporate world. I felt overlooked, unheard, and disconnected from the confident, high-achieving woman I had always been. Instead of letting it define me, I sought an outlet and started teaching high heels dance on the side.
What began as a passion project quickly became a lifeline, reminding me of the power of presence, self-expression, and owning my space. I realized confidence isn’t just something you have – it’s something you refine and embody. That’s what led me to build my coaching business, helping high-achieving women elevate their presence so they show up as powerfully as they truly are. Adversity didn’t diminish me – it redirected me to my true purpose.
– Kate Ziuz
Self-Presentation Coach
Oh my goodness, where do I begin? While I didn’t knowingly sign up to be the poster woman for overcoming adversity, it somehow happened, and by God’s grace, I’m able to share about it today.
During my rise in both the entertainment industry and as an entrepreneur, I was in a car accident at the age of 31.
I went on to spend my 30s losing the ability to speak, requiring assistance to breathe, having little to no answers or hope, becoming housebound well before the pandemic, lying flat on a massage table staring at the ceiling 24/7, receiving around-the-clock care, going bankrupt, speaking through blinking, becoming estranged from my family and suicidally depressed…the list goes on. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
It is nothing short of a miracle for me to be here today. In the years I spent trapped inside my own mind, unable to communicate clearly, I promised both God and myself that I would someday share this journey as well as the tools that helped me overcome and have a second chance at life, which is exactly what I do today. I’m honored to shine a light for those who feel they are in darkness and to remind everyone that they truly can do ANYTHING.
“Babble On” is my personal mantra to keep going and when you do that, absolutely anything is possible, regardless of what others may think or believe. You’ve got this. No matter what “this” is. Always remember that.
– BabbleOnBrooke/Brooke Bonder
International Award-Winning Host and Motivational Speaker
My journey of resilience started when I got kicked out of high school, yet I still made it through college and into a “successful” tech career. On paper, I had made it, but I was craving more. After my first solo international trip, something shifted within me. I came home, quit my 9-5, and decided to go all in on my business.
The day before my last day, my dad passed. Two months later, I lost my dog of 15 years, and a few months after that, my grandmother. Grief became the unexpected shadow of my first year in business after leaving my job.
I could’ve shut down but instead, I let those losses shape me. I allowed myself to feel the pain, reached out to my community for support and alchemized my grief into purpose. Today, as a Business Authenticity Coach, I support WOC entrepreneurs through their own fears and transitions—helping them build businesses that are purpose led and sustainable.
To me, resilience isn’t your ability to hold it all together. It’s about staying connected to your why, even in the hard seasons, and choosing to keep going because it’s not just about you, it’s about the community you’re serving.
– Nicole Santos
Business Authenticity Coach
From the age of five, I’ve lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Uveitis, and Scoliosis—chronic autoimmune conditions that made even basic movement a struggle. Doctors predicted a life of limitations, recommending everything from NSAIDs and steroid injections to low-grade chemotherapy infusions. At 18, I temporarily lost my vision for 7 days, 14 hours, and 23 minutes—a phenomenon so rare it had only been documented once before me. I was prescribed hourly steroid eye drops just to regain my sight.
At 21, I made a life-changing shift toward holistic wellness. Through anti-inflammatory nutrition, movement, and a self-care plan tailored to my needs, I began to heal from the inside out. I eventually pushed my body further than I ever imagined, competing for two years in the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA).
The road wasn’t easy, but the power of community, education, and self-belief kept me moving. With over a decade of experience in branding and event marketing, I founded The Wellness Affair to bring that same energy to others. Our events are inclusive, empowering, and rooted in connection—because I believe that wellness isn’t a luxury; it’s a lifeline. And everyone deserves access to it.
– Danielle Foster
Founder of The Wellness Affair
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