My name is Virginia Alubala from Kenya, I'm a social entrepreneur, creative director, and advocate for sustainable fashion. FHL CLASSIQUE is a brand that leverages fabric and crochet art to create timeless pieces. Through innovative design and community-focused business models, FHL CLASSIQUE is proving that luxury, sustainability, and social impact can coexist.

Am ireen Gakii a founder of Bygrace Jipam Enterprises.it is akenyan registered business.based in Nairobi county. We are a dealer in general merchandise in institutions, companies and individuals. We supply office &school stationery.also we are in circular sustainability where we rescue, redesign old fabrics to products of more value.I.e tote bags ,pouches,laptop bags etc.reducing waste into entering dumpsite.clean environment is our pride. We do timely delivery , quality is a guarantee.durability is our mission and satisfaction of our client's is our pride.Thank u .

What would change if you gave yourself permission to rest without guilt? How do you balance action with the time to simply be? As founders, we always have things to do. But learning to read your body and take time to rest and recharge will support you to endure on the long term. Here are three practices that have helped me balance ambition with rest: 1.⁠ ⁠Feed your action time with recharge time. Your ambition needs fuel. Schedule rest and creativity as intentionally as you schedule meetings. Spend time in nature, do something just for fun, or even do nothing, without guilt. It's what makes the work sustainable. 2.⁠ ⁠Feel what's there to feel. Don't push through everything. Emotions are part of life and they can get intense in the most busy time. Practice noticing your emotions, give them space, and become comfortable feeling and expressing them. Try journaling about them, talking to someone you trust, or use movement to help them go through your body. 3.⁠ ⁠Nurture your personal connections. Business can be consuming. But the relationships outside of work, the people who ground you and nurture you, are what make the journey meaningful. Protect that time and feed your soul with those who love you the way you are. Do these tips resonate? Do you have other practices that support you? Let's share the community wisdom here in the comments! Wishing you a nourishing summer! ☀️

I was born in Barcelona and have called Portugal home for the past 5 years. My path here has been anything but linear, and I’ve come to see that as one of my biggest strengths. I spent over 25 years as a teacher, starting with preschoolers, then training in Montessori and founding a bilingual Montessori nursery at 28. Later I moved into teaching English to adults, specializing in in-company training. Alongside my career, life was teaching me its own lessons. I married at 22, had my son at 24, and divorced at 27. I’ve always been driven, curious, and hungry to grow, and even in my early twenties I knew there was more to life than working hard to pay the bills. I wanted to understand myself, my relationships, and what real fulfillment looked like. Years later, in a second marriage that also wasn’t right for me, I decided to train as a nutritionist; health has always fascinated me. At the same time, I started personal therapy with a Gestalt therapist, mostly to help me figure out whether to stay married or not. Three months in, I knew: Gestalt was my calling. I walked away from nutrition school and spent the next 3 years training as a Gestalt therapist. It changed everything. I’ve now been a therapist for 10.5 years, and I truly found my ikigai. Working 1:1 showed me how powerful this work is and also how limited my impact could be one client at a time. So I set out to build a group program that could reach more women. I’ve been developing it for the past 3 years; the women who’ve been through it have loved it, and I haven’t yet cracked how to bring it to a bigger group. I know in my bones this work can transform hundreds of lives — that’s the mission I’m here to fulfill. 🙏

Morning ladies! If you've attended a Female Founders Breakfast before, we'd love to hear from you! We're putting together our first Annual Impact Report, and your feedback is essential. The Founder's Happiness Index (FHI) survey helps us understand what our community truly means to founders like you, and what we can do better. Take 3 minutes to complete the survey and get €5 off your next event! https://form.jotform.com/261895120156053 It would be super amazing if you could share your honest thoughts. Your feedback helps us grow and shape our impact. Thank you! 💜