Do You Listen to Your Inner Voice

Our inner voice can sometimes provide the answers for the questions we didn’t even know we need to ask.

I am often asked how and why I started Tech Savvy Women (TSW). To be honest, it had been a soft, delicate voice that I heard in my thoughts from time to time over a three-year period telling me that this was something I should do. The timing, however, just never seemed right as I spent most days challenged to stay on top of my demanding job, young family and all my other competing to-dos.

After many years, I brought that delicate voice to the forefront by socializing it with other women in the technology field. Although I had little time for another initiative, I put a stake in the ground and started a gathering with women who could relate and facilitate the conversation and support I craved.Twelve delightful, awesome, authentic women attended our first event in August 2008. These women brought laughter, empathy and perspective—I provided great wine and food. Within this relatable conversation, we highlighted a few things we would like to see in the future as we all committed to meet again:

• Authentic conversation.
• Support for each other and our journeys.
• A break from the madness.
• Good wine.

The entire event cost just a few hundred dollars. As I drove home from that first event, I felt like I found a place where I could be myself, laugh louder than normal, share my fears and receive some
great advice, support and guidance.

Over the years, TSW has evolved. Great women continue to show up online and in-person because the conversation is effective, the events are helpful to their careers and the wine is usually needed.With lots of buzz over the years, TSW has been featured in many magazines including Forbes, Smart Business and CBC. It also has been featured on many radio shows and blogs.

It took me years to get the confidence to listen and acknowledge my inner voice, reprioritize my schedule and ask other women to join me for fear I would be wasting their time and mine. Today, the group is more than 2,500 experienced women within technology and related fields. Many of the women who participate in TSW are product creators, team leads, developers, marketing experts,
experienced senior sales women in tech, professional service leads, support specialist, technology executives and entrepreneurs building businesses. These women are paving the way for the next
generation of young women joining the workforce. TSW would not be where it is today without all the fantastic women who come together for these events and exchanges in various cities and online.

We plan to host meetings in strategic locations where we will continue to weave in great discussions,ways to accelerate your impact, great wine and unique experiences.We initially leveraged LinkedIn to stay connected, share ideas and post jobs and events. We have evolved as our activities, events, videos and conversations continue to expand—in addition to our LinkedIn group, we host a YouTube Channel (www.TechSavvyWomen.TV) and a Tech Savvy Women website.

How Do You Listen to Your Inner Voice?

Oprah, one of my inspirational women, published an article on this topic in her magazine and it starts by asking yourself three questions:

• “What would it take for me to be perfectly happy?”
• “In what situations in my life, and with whom, am I not perfectly happy?”
• “In looking over my life, where and when have I been the happiest? Where was I, with whom was I, and what was I doing?”

In the article, Are You Listening? How to Access Your Inner Voice by Brian Tracy, we glean inspiration:

When you listen to yourself and act on what you hear inside,

you are setting out on the road to personal greatness.

What is your inner voice telling you?

JJ DiGeronimo, keynote speaker for women, based in Cleveland, presents keynote addresses on women in leadership, diversity in business and advancement for women.

Check out JJ’s new book Accelerate Your Impact by downloading three free chapters.