On April 19 TopFem organised their annual Future Fair event, an opportunity to meet and join in discussions with different companies, alongside group coaching sessions with some well-known names in the industry. The companies participating in the event were Lof Academy (Training & Coaching for women), Rabobank, the Dutch Tax Authorities (de Belastingdienst), Amref Flying Doctors and Calco. Career coaches Scott Blick, Chantal Heutink (author of “on high heels in Africa”), José van Daal (Zichtbaar Ondernemen) and Evelien Bijl (Doelgerichte coaching) also graced us with their presence.
The evening started with a small, but inspiring introductory session by Jolanda Holwerda, founder of Lof Academy and an expert on female leadership, who was also the chairwoman of the evening. Drawing from experiences in her professional life, she reminded us about how women find it difficult to often stand our ground – especially in a professional setting. Jolanda stressed that one of the biggest steps towards success is to own up to who you are and confidently take a stand.
The rest of the evening saw all the attendees being dispersed into smaller groups to attend workshops and career coaching sessions. Here are a few experiences shared by our very own TopFem network:
Carmen, who attended the coaching session by José, said the session was “inspiring and challenging”. José encouraged participants to visualise their plans for the future in the form of a game, making it a very exciting 45 minute.
Genevieve who attended the workshop by Calco, said, “Calco’s workshop was for me one of the best eye-openers of all the TopFem events. To realise the relation between our goals and our daily actions opened my eye and taught me to focus on what is truly important.”
She also attended the coaching session with Evelien, which she found to be nice and interactive. About Evelien herself, Genevieve said, “She had an open attitude and gave me practical advice to achieve my goals.”
Ending on a strong note, Scott had one message for all the ladies, “Focus, focus, focus! An enjoyable way to learn to focus on your goal. Your goal matters! Do not be too polite.”
A fun and successful evening came to an end as the TopFem family mingled and networked, alongside drinks and snacks and a joyous attitude.
