What Happens When Women Entrepreneurs Stop Networking and Start Building Real Community?

At Bizz Bitch Community, we believe something that feels surprisingly radical in today's business world:

Connection is the strategy.

Not another networking event.

Not another business card exchange.

Not another room where women spend two hours talking about what they do before rushing back to their busy lives.

Real connection.

Real support.

Real community.

Because while entrepreneurship can be one of the most rewarding journeys you'll ever take, it can also be one of the loneliest.

Behind every successful founder is a woman carrying a thousand invisible responsibilities. She's leading a business, making decisions, managing clients, handling finances, creating content, solving problems, and somehow still trying to be present for the people she loves. Most days she's figuring it out as she goes, and more often than not, she's doing it alone.

That's exactly why Bizz Bitch Community exists.

We weren't created to be another networking group. We were created because women deserve spaces where they can show up as their full selves. Spaces where strategy meets soul. Spaces where ambitious women can build businesses while also building friendships, support systems, and lives they actually enjoy living.

Over the years, we've watched incredible things happen inside our community. Women have found business partners, hired one another, collaborated on projects, spoken on stages together, referred clients, launched businesses, and built genuine friendships. Through our connection circles, mastermind sessions, entrepreneur socials, coworking days, and signature events, we've seen firsthand what happens when women stop competing and start connecting.

But recently, we started asking a bigger question.

What would happen if we gave women more time?

Not two hours.

Not one evening.

Not a networking event squeezed between school pickups, client calls, and life responsibilities.

What would happen if women entrepreneurs had an entire weekend together?

That question led to the first Here We Rise x Bizz Bitch Community Retreat in Oceanside, California.

And what unfolded over three days reminded us exactly why community matters.

From a Beach Walk to a Sold-Out Retreat

The retreat actually began long before anyone arrived at the oceanfront house.

It started with a beach walk.

Lex Lewis, founder of Here We Rise, and I were walking along the coastline talking about women, business, money, community, and what felt missing in so many entrepreneurial spaces. Lex had recently launched Here We Rise, a nonprofit focused on supporting women in their financial, personal, and community health and wealth. Meanwhile, Bizz Bitch Community had spent years building spaces where women could connect on a deeper level.

The more we talked, the clearer it became.

We didn't need another conference.

We didn't need another networking event.

We needed an experience.

An intimate room where women could explore not only their businesses, but themselves.

Five weeks later, that conversation became reality.

A sold-out retreat.

An oceanfront home.

A dream lineup of speakers and practitioners.

And a room full of women willing to show up for themselves.

More Than Business Strategy

One thing we knew from the beginning was that we didn't want to create a retreat that leaned entirely into strategy or entirely into mindset.

Too many retreats force women to choose.

They're either learning funnels, sales systems, and marketing strategies all weekend, or they're creating vision boards without any conversation about implementation.

The truth is that women need both.

We need strategy.

We need mindset.

We need emotional intelligence.

We need community.

We need support.

Most importantly, we need spaces that recognize we're not just entrepreneurs.

We're whole human beings.

That's why the weekend was intentionally designed to layer experiences on top of one another. Every session opened the door for the next. Every conversation created space for deeper conversations.

As one attendee reflected later:

"The ebb and flow of everything was so nice. You got structure, but you also got to come back into your body. It felt really balanced."

The Power of Honest Conversations

The retreat officially began with an opening circle on the beach, toes in the sand and the Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of us.

From there, we welcomed Dr. Kelly Alhooie for an intimate fireside chat.

Kelly didn't show up with a polished presentation or a carefully curated success story. Instead, she shared the reality of entrepreneurship. She talked openly about building businesses, navigating identity shifts, selling a company, making difficult decisions, and losing significant amounts of money along the way.

The room wasn't captivated because she was successful.

The room was captivated because she was honest.

One attendee later shared that hearing Kelly's story changed how she viewed her own business journey.

"I get to see other women who were once where I am now and how they got unstuck. It reminds me that if they can do it, I can do it too."

That honesty set the tone for the entire weekend.

Because when one woman goes first, it gives everyone else permission to be real too.

Remembering Who You Were Before the Business

Saturday morning started with one simple question during a beach walk:

Who were you before you became an entrepreneur?

The question landed harder than expected.

As entrepreneurs, we spend so much time talking about what we do that we rarely stop to think about who we are.

Before the launches.

Before the clients.

Before the payroll.

Before the pressure.

The conversation sparked stories about travel, creativity, adventure, and forgotten dreams. It reminded everyone that while entrepreneurship may be a part of our identity, it should never become our entire identity.

Sometimes growth isn't about becoming someone new.

Sometimes it's about remembering who you've always been.

Creating Space for What We Actually Desire

From there, Bethany Phillips guided the group through a beautiful breathwork and somatic embodiment experience.

Wrapped in blankets, wearing eye masks, and breathing deeply beside the ocean, women were invited to slow down and reconnect with themselves before diving into the deeper work ahead.

Several attendees specifically mentioned Bethany's approach during our closing reflections.

"Her style felt safe and comfortable. It wasn't aggressive. It felt like permission to stay at ease while still doing meaningful work."

That sense of openness created the perfect foundation for Lex Lewis and her L.O.N.G.I.N.G. Method workshop.

Far beyond traditional money mindset work, Lex invited women to explore desire, grief, wealth, and the emotional stories that often shape our relationship with success.

One attendee shared a breakthrough that echoed throughout the room.

"The idea of grieving what you've lost instead of simply letting it go was really eye-opening for me. I've never thought about it that way before."

It was one of many moments where women realized they weren't just building businesses.

They were becoming new versions of themselves.

Why Pleasure Belongs in the Conversation

One of the most talked-about experiences of the weekend came from Laurie Love's Erotic Blueprint workshop.

At first glance, some people might wonder what intimacy and pleasure have to do with entrepreneurship.

The answer?

Everything.

Because how we receive, how we communicate, how we trust ourselves, and how we express our needs doesn't stop when we sit down at our desks.

Those same patterns show up in leadership, decision-making, boundaries, confidence, and business growth.

What began with curiosity quickly turned into one of the most impactful conversations of the weekend.

As one attendee reflected:

"I thought it was going to be interesting, but it ended up being incredibly practical. It gave me a deeper understanding of myself and how I show up in different areas of my life."

That's exactly what Bizz Bitch Community is about.

Looking at the whole woman.

Not just the business owner.

Strategy Still Matters

Of course, we couldn't gather a room full of entrepreneurs without talking business.

Throughout the weekend, women participated in mastermind-style hot seat coaching sessions where they brought real challenges, opportunities, and roadblocks to the group.

The conversations were honest.

The feedback was direct.

And the breakthroughs were immediate.

One participant admitted she had been terrified to sit in the hot seat.

By the end of the weekend, her perspective had completely shifted.

"I've never been supported like this before. Realizing I don't have to do this alone was probably my biggest takeaway."

Another shared:

"The hot seat coaching felt scary at first, but it ended up being one of the most fulfilling parts of the retreat."

Because sometimes what we need most isn't another course.

It's a room full of people willing to help us see what we can't see ourselves.

The Magic Between the Sessions

As incredible as the workshops were, some of the biggest breakthroughs happened when nothing was scheduled.

Over coffee.

Around the kitchen island.

Walking on the beach.

Sitting around a fire.

Late at night in pajamas.

One attendee summed it up perfectly:

"This feels like a friend retreat. We're all talking about our businesses, what lights us up, and supporting one another. It's such a different energy."

Another shared:

"I love being around women who are building. It's just a different kind of energy."

That's the thing about retreats.

The transformation doesn't just happen in the programming.

It happens in the moments between the programming.

The conversations that continue long after the workshop ends.

The friendships that form unexpectedly.

The realization that you're surrounded by women who genuinely want to see you succeed.

Under the Stars

Saturday evening brought one of the most memorable experiences of the entire weekend.

As the sun disappeared and the stars emerged overhead, Arlene Salcedo of Luna Soul Wellness guided the group through a sound bath and release ceremony beside a bonfire on the beach.

Women wrote down what they were ready to release.

Fear.

Doubt.

Old stories.

Old identities.

Then, one by one, they burned those reflections in the fire.

Surrounded by the sound of waves, the warmth of the flames, and the rhythm of a drum, the experience felt both deeply personal and profoundly collective.

The evening happened to fall on a blue moon.

By the end of the night, women were laughing, crying, howling at the moon, and celebrating everything they were becoming.

The Cold Plunge Nobody Wanted To Do

By Sunday morning, almost nobody wanted to participate in the cold plunge.

At least that's what they said.

The excuses started early.

The negotiations were impressive.

But one by one, women decided to step into the discomfort.

And together, nearly the entire group ran into the ocean.

Laughing.

Screaming.

Celebrating.

It became the perfect metaphor for entrepreneurship itself.

Growth rarely feels comfortable.

But when you're surrounded by the right people, courage becomes contagious.

What Happens Next?

As we closed the weekend back where it began, with our toes in the sand, each woman was asked to make a promise to herself for the next ninety days.

Not a goal.

A promise.

Because goals can be forgotten.

Promises carry weight.

As one attendee shared during our closing reflections:

"My biggest takeaway is that I need to dream bigger."

Another shared:

"This weekend reminded me that community is everything."

And perhaps the quote that best captures the heart of Bizz Bitch Community:

"I realized I don't have to do this alone."

That's what we've been building all along.

Not just events.

Not just retreats.

A community.

Join Us In Portugal

If one weekend in Oceanside created this much connection, growth, and transformation, imagine what's possible with an entire week together in Portugal.

This October, Bizz Bitch Community is taking everything we love about community, connection, business growth, and personal expansion overseas.

More time to connect.

More meaningful conversations.

More opportunities to step away from the noise and reconnect with yourself.

More reminders that you are capable of far more than you think.

Portugal isn't just a retreat.

It's an immersion into what's possible when ambitious women gather with intention.

If you've been craving deeper connections, bigger conversations, and a community that believes in you even before you're ready to believe in yourself, we'd love to have you join us.

Because the truth is simple.

You're not meant to do this alone. 🖤