Women Empowering Women is Rethreaded’s bi-annual networking event focused on purposeful dialogues that motivate women to live out their lives with intention, both professionally and personally. Each spring and fall, the event hosts close to 100 women who are looking to connect with other like-minded professionals and grow through immersive activities.

The 2025 Women Empowering Women event focused on an important question, “How can you find meaning in the mundane?” Successful women are often expected to fill several roles: a wife, a mother, an employee, a friend. In having to juggle all these distinct roles, we start to equate our purpose to being the best version of these positions we hold. But at the end of a long day, we still feel empty, as if completing these tasks did nothing to make us feel whole. That’s not to say we don’t find immense joy in being a mother to our children or thrilled when we receive a promotion at work, but deep within our soul something remains to be seen.

Previous Women Empowering Women events explored the different facets of purpose, but this discussion homed in on rediscovering purpose following periods of soul searching. In life, it can become easy to go through the motions rather than be present in each role you are expected to fulfill. That is because these roles are not our purpose. Our purpose is something that we have had within us our entire lives. It was through understanding this that the attendees could dive deeper into what their individual purpose is.

Through several different activities such as small group discussion, writing prompts, personal anecdotes from Rethreaded staff, and introspection, women emphatically resonated with one another and experienced personal growth.

This event was special from previous years due to the inclusion of a guest speaker, Patricia McElroy, Senior Vice President and Foundation President of VyStar Credit Union. Kristin Keen, Rethreaded’s Founder and CEO, stepped into the role of moderator to lead an in-depth Q&A with Patricia where they focused on her previous experiences in the corporate world.

Patricia had previously struggled to support her purpose in her role as a lawyer as she felt like her soul had been shrinking. The discussion resonated with many in the audience who could relate to Patricia’s first desire for the shinier things in life, like beach houses and luxury cars, which quickly faded upon attaining them and seeing the items for the lackluster purchases they were.

Patricia explained how being in the corporate world made her soul feel small, as if there was something bigger for her. Many of the attendees connected with her story as it was something they were facing in their own lives. The dialogue showed that the mundane could be temporary, but it is up to each individual to do the work to rediscover their purpose.

“She remembered who she was and the game changed.”- Lalah Delia

After the discussion concluded, the attendees began opening up about how they may have thought that their purpose was one thing, but after hearing from Kristin and Patricia realized that it was something much deeper. The takeaways and insights from their conversation were felt deeply within the crowd.

When the event concluded, many of the groups were eager to stay in contact with one another. The event had brought them closer and had allowed them to be vulnerable with like-minded strangers. Many of the attendees took photos, exchanged phone numbers or business cards, and seemed excited to stay connected. At Rethreaded, we strive to be a place where communities can be formed and connections can flourish. Part of the hope for networking events like Women Empowering Women is that our Campus of Hope can become a safe space for empathetic and supportive relationships to form.

“What an amazing experience! Thank you for providing a safe space to meet, network, listen, and be present.” -Women Empowering Women Attendee

We strive to foster the reignition of purpose for individuals and cheer them on as they reenter the world as changemakers for good. We also encourage anyone interested to attend our upcoming Women Empowering Women event in the fall of 2025, as it will continue to educate and impassion women from all over Jacksonville.

This spring event raised over $5,000, which will go towards supportive services and meaningful work for survivors of human trafficking, an amount that will be able to fund over 145 hours of employment for the survivors in our Survivor Development Program. Thank you to Crowley for sponsoring this event and helping to make powerful changes possible.

Our biggest thanks is to all the women who showed up willing to be vulnerable in a room of strangers. We hope everyone who was in attendance continues to live out their purpose, even amongst the mundane.