Whitney Petretto’s Post

What is the purpose behind She Grows and what are we aiming to accomplish? Firstly - changing the status quo, more so creating a community for purposeful impact with women. We need to normalise celebrating each other, collaborating with our “competition” and being honest about our fears and each other, but also accountability. Which is one of my personal values. Before every event and after I value feed-back, honest, raw, and straightforward feed-back. That is how we grow. But you’d be surprised by the number of women letting me all the things I am doing wrong and why men should be allowed to have their own networks. Yeah.. I said it. But I’m using this as a motivation to keep pushing the boundaries of what I think can be accomplished – together for women, by women. This is also what makes me even more convinced after every event that I am on to something. She Grows isn’t just about celebrating women, it’s about changing the way we conduct business, networks, and community. If I can’t see the change, I’ll be the change, one piece of the puzzle at a time. Swedish midsummer is around the corner and like most I’m starting to look forward to summer holidays, but looking forward to August already for what we have in plan for the year to come. If you’re looking for a way to elevate your leadership skills and find balance, we have something in store for you. But for now. Happy Swedish midsummer and for those of you starting your vacation enjoy, recover and recharge. 

For the past five months, I've been guiding groups of women through curated event experiences across Seattle as a facilitator for RealRoots, a company that helps women make new friends. Being a guide speaks to the R.A./camp counselor inside of me, and allows me to tap into the way I enjoy expressing my creativity, which is through movement, curiosity in conversation, and writing.    I closed yesterday's dinner series with my favorite reflection activity -- one I recommend to anyone leading groups just getting to know each other. Every woman had a chance to be in the spotlight with the rest of the group taking turns sharing a positive memory or exchange they've had over the course of the series. I love this activity because it allows participants to share how they see each other, and everyone leaves the experience feeling warm and fuzzy. What I enjoy most is watching people in the room share from their hearts -- good facilitation feels like watching people fall in love in slow motion.   As I listened to the women reflect on their favorite experiences from our series, I realized the moments where I allowed myself to put my own spin on things and go "off-script" turned out to be the most enjoyable moments for the group. Self-trust plays a huge part in creating a safe environment for others to build trusting relationships, and I felt that in a big way with this cohort.   When it was my turn in the hotseat, one of the women in my group shared one of the highest compliments that affirmed that this kind of work is aligned with my purpose. She shared:   "Whenever you ask me a question, it pulls something out of me I didn't know I wanted or needed to share. It challenges me in a way that feels encouraging and supportive." My experience as a guide has not only been a practice of presence but also an exercise in self-trust, and I'm excited to continue building that muscle in my next series!

😅 While our “Start with Why” discussion was enriching at our last NextChapter meeting. Not everything was all peaches. Here's some room for improvement: 🌍 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀: By the end, we were tired of hearing about Apple. Where are the European love brands? Brands that came to mind were: Patagonia, Sezane, CultBeauty, Loop (my personal fave), Too Good To Go, Vinted, Oatley, ... 🔄 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Honestly, this could have an e-mail just as well. ⏳𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: Published in 2009, some references feel outdated in today’s fast-evolving business landscape. 🎙️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: At times, it felt more like a recording than a thoughtfully written book. Despite these points, the core message of finding and focusing on your "why" remained powerful and relevant. What are your thoughts on Start with Why? ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ NextChapter is not your average grandma's book club. We are a community of ambitious women. Focused on growth through business books and mutual support. Follow this page to stay updated on our journey and join us in our next session✨.

Do you want a free spot in INVIGORATE this Autumn? I’m launching my brand new experience **Invigorate** - and as a special gift, I’m looking for FIVE growth-minded women to invite in for absolutely no cost*😃 ➡️ *Can you bring THREE friends/business buddies/colleagues? ➡️ If so, then your place is free. 📣 First Five women to get three friends onboard and paid in full, gets their place for no cost. 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃 ➡️ Curious? Comment INVIGORATE and I’ll Ping you further details. **INVIGORATE** - 8 weeks of pure energy to raise your vibration and stay on your A-game. - LIVE zoom calls in groups of 5-12 women - Engaging exercises to raise your energy & deepen your purpose - master your mindset and shake up the status quo *(You will need to book your seat first, and be all in, and then invite your friends to receive your reimbursement. This is not meant for women who only want a free space. This is for women who are coming anyway and want to share the love. Your free space is a thank you for doing so). ** You will be supporting the mission to help 100 women this Autumn, Raise their Vibration, Stay on their A-game and Smash their Goals. (Watch out for more exciting experiences coming your way as this community grows and thrives!) Can’t wait to do this with you, Sharon x Thank you to Female Founders Rise for running another brilliant challenge 🙏

As we count down to the end of the year, I find myself reflecting on all that our team has accomplished, the balls I dropped, and the opportunities we missed (all of which we can revisit in 2025). But the most exciting highlight has been the massive project we’ve set in motion, made possible by the Penfolds Evermore grant. Running a business—especially a social enterprise—is not for the faint-hearted. It’s relentless, and I often think of it as my third child: one that will never grow up and leave home. The upside? It doesn’t talk back or give me attitude! I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with two amazing women who have my back. Our shared history in the fashion industry connected us, and it’s been a joy to offer them roles tailored to their unique skills and passions. Because of this alignment, their work doesn’t feel like “just a job”—it feeds their souls, as much as it feeds mine. While the challenges of running this business can be relentless, I truly love it. It’s taken time and a fair share of struggles to find this happy space, but I’ve come to appreciate the journey. Without the hurdles of my past career, I wouldn’t have the knowledge and experience that guide me today. As I close the chapter on 2024, I carry forward the lessons learned and shift my focus to the growth we need to achieve in 2025. My goal remains clear: to not only support our community and the environment but also to provide meaningful, secure employment for local women. Together, we’re creating something that truly matters.

ACC Celebrates Women in Businesses Today we celebrate,Georgie Funk and Koebers Interiors How long have you been in business? Our business has been around since 1963 when my grandma and grandpa started the company as a carpet installation service (photo of my grandma attached- my grandpa passed in 2019). I represent the third generation of our company, which is now a full-service flooring and window coverings store with strong local roots in Beaverton and beyond. What brought you to this path? I grew up here in the carpet store and watching my family work together, I always knew I wanted to continue the legacy my grandparents built. I’m passionate about doing things right in our industry, building relationships locally, and carrying forward a family business that truly serves our community. What has been your biggest obstacle? One of the biggest obstacles has been navigating a still very male-driven industry. As a woman—especially a younger woman in business—it’s often challenging to gain the respect of some of the men I work with. Earning that respect takes extra effort, but it's made me more determined to show the value and capability I bring to the table. What has been your biggest/proudest achievement? One of my proudest achievements has been receiving the Generational Development Award from OSU’s Center for Family Enterprise last year. The process to apply, interview, and ultimately be selected as a finalist and winner was a long process. This award recognizes families who show dedication to the thoughtful development of the next generation in both personal and professional leadership within the family and the business. Winning this award confirmed my family’s commitment to building a legacy of strong, engaged future leaders for our family business. Tell me one thing you wish everyone knew about being a woman-owned business. One thing I wish everyone knew about being a woman-owned business is that many women have the unique balance of running a company while being a mom. For me, being a mom to young kids and a leader in our company can feel overwhelming at times. But it’s also why I’m so grateful to be part of a family business—it gives me the flexibility and support to keep things running both at work and at home. That said, not every woman has this kind of flexibility in their workplace, and moms don’t get enough recognition for just how difficult it can be to juggle everything. #BACC #WomenInBusiness #Celebrate

"I want to be invited to speak on other people’s stages" YES or NO... If yes...then Scale through Speaking Retreat in Austin, TX April 24th-26th is designed for YOU! This 3 day retreat is for women in business who are willing to invest solutions with experts who have walked the same path and coached others to success. When you follow the process we share with you, you could book stages within 30 days! We also offer a postgraduate accountability call to ensure you don’t get stuck. It's for leaders who recognize the value of implementing frameworks and processes in real time to establish a foundation for consistent results. No more DIY projects or half-hearted attempts at getting started at the lowest level. You may have tried DIY in the past, and are ready for real results. This is for women who are tired of trying to do it all alone, and who are eager to create an inner circle of trusted referral partners for collaboration and accountability. We are creating a container of other powerhouse speakers who you can continue to connect with on your journey. Jenn and I deeply care about the success of our clients, and want to see more of you commanding those stages and growing your business! Comment below with “me” if you’d like additional information or first access to special early bird bonuses. The registration goes live on Black Friday!

What an honor to be a business spotlight in Canvasrebel Magazine! Read to learn about my personal journey as an entrepreur, what led to the launch of my company, indigoLife Communications, Inc., the story behind it's mission, and how pain prompted my pivot that resulted in a global brand for nation-building purposes.

Crazy good! I am honored for making Inc's 2024 Female Founder 250 list. I never really feel comfortable with moments like this and accolades, mainly because I'm usually looking forward to what is left to be done (and I also still struggle with self-esteem). But on this one, I wanted to take a moment and shout out what I think is important about today. What have I learned? Why am I here? KEEP ON KEEPING ON! I've worked every day for 10 years building Outdoorsy and never given up to get to this point - that's my biggest message for all the entrepreneurs and young girls, or people out there trying to make it in their career, or build a business. What matters most is exactly that: resilience, perseverance. You have to learn your skills by paying attention to what you can learn - from ALL the mistakes and people that are better than you. In the first few months of starting Outdoorsy I coined a phase 'we never give up' (around the idea of a cricket which was a rallying cry for us to make it through the fund raising). But I never knew how pertinent it would be for me personally. FIND JOY IN THE HARD JOURNEY You gotta take all the hits (not as many as you 'can endure', but actually look forward to 'the ones to come' because you can consume them as knowledge), suffer through the hardships and failures, and then get right back up. You can give yourself some grace to take a day or two off during the pain to regroup but that's about it. Get back at it. As you grow you also learn how to find joy in the moment, in the every day achievements (it helps when you are doing purposeful work and thankfully that's also what being out in our properties is teaching me. What being around guests and in nature teaches me, a spirit of joy and thankfulness and contentment…) So do this, while looking to the horizon, and do not stop. I bet you’ll get here too. I am truly proud to be on this list. PAUSING TO GIVE THANKS Thank you to everyone I have learned from and the teams of people I’ve worked with. Especially my team today, they are amazing (and the best, and strongest we've ever been). This is a female recognition list and it's pretty remarkable to see how far and fast we have gone from once male dominated businesses to so many great female innovators and female-led business. I am in awe and inspired every day by the many mighty, kind and inspirational women I work with at Outdoorsy, in our Destination properties (California, Colorado, Texas) and across our Roamly insurtech business. RETREAT TO ADVANCE What a great day to enjoy! And especially on the heels of us just launching our Outdoorsy glamping retreat in Texas Hill Country where I moved onto property to open it. I'll be the backfill to the General Manager starting with my shifts 9am-6pm Wed-Sat, in case you want to find me. But we're open to public 24/7, so book a stay today! You wont regret it. Love Jen #inc #entrepreneurship #female #outdoorsy #OutdoorIndustry #innovation #technology #Future

It might seem like an unlikely pairing... E.L.F. BEAUTY and their "Change the Board Game" initiative to raise awareness around board diversity. Bottom line... board diversity is not only the right thing to do, it also drives profitability. E.l.f. Beauty chairman and CEO, Tarang Amin, said in a statement that he believes the company’s unique board of directors has helped it report 20 consecutive quarters of net-sales growth, and 1,500% stock growth in the past five years. Their goal? Get other companies to follow suit and double the rate of women and diverse candidates being added to U.S. corporate boards by 2027. With Billie Jean King literally serving up stats, this clever campaign is no doubt reaching a varied audience – folks who may have never thought about the diversity on boards. And that’s the point. From a marketing perspective, E.l.f. is knocking it out of the park. A quick check of their socials and their latest board post on Instagram has close to 1,000 comments and almost all are excitedly encouraging. Can E.l.f. mobilize other companies? Hard to say. Are consumers proud of E.l.f. taking the lead on this initiative? It appears so. This might just be the right mix of marketing and social impact that can make a difference. What do you think of E.l.f.’s campaign? https://lnkd.in/e-9wBgHN #Marketing #Ads #SocialImpact