Meaningful Networking in 2026: Building the Feminist Economy
Frankly, this is an exhausting time to be a woman.
We’re attentive in our careers while simultaneously focusing on our families. We disproportionately carry the invisible labor of remembering, organizing, and anticipating. We carry the weight of uncertainty in a political climate that can make the mere aspect of being a woman feel much heavier than it should.
This burden is too much for any one woman to carry on her own.
The fact is: we need each other.
And not just when we need a hand with the kids, a recommendation, or an introduction for a new opportunity. We need each other as we navigate real challenges to our autonomy and our freedoms. In the quiet moments when we’re questioning what’s next. In the moments when we’re longing to be understood.
Connection is not a personal luxury. It’s a huge part of how we grow, navigate change, and remember who we are. In a world that asks us to carry so much, intentional connection matters now more than ever.
We Weren't Meant to Do this Alone
Here are a few numbers worth pausing with:
According to a recent Gallup Workplace study, women lead men by six percentage points in workplace engagement—34% compared with 28%. We’re also more likely to say they we’re extremely motivated to explore career growth opportunities: 20% compared with 16% of men.
Even amidst higher burnout, we are engaged. We are imagining new possibilities for our lives, our careers, and the futures of our communities.
As we look toward the future, many of us are craving spaces that center collaboration, connection and momentum. Naturally, we look to networking opportunities for these opportunities. But far too often, traditional networking mixers or events don’t offer authentic connection.
At ALTAR, we believe there is another way.
What is a Feminist Economy?
A Feminist Economy is built on the power of reciprocity, opportunity, belonging, and community. It asks us to consider what becomes possible when we stop measuring success solely through individual achievement. It urges us to recognize the strength we create together. And it reminds us that we don’t need to wear an air of perfectly poised professionalism to be valuable to one another.
A Feminist Economy validates what we already know: that we are stronger together than we are standing alone.
At ALTAR, we call this concept sistering:
“Sistering is a reminder that women don’t need to face life’s difficulties alone. We can, and should, uplift other women. Embracing our interdependence through seeking and offering support is a sign of profound strength, not weakness. It also challenges the competitive, patriarchal narrative we face day to day. Rather than tearing each other down, sistering inspires us to build each other up.”
Experience Networking Reimagined
Imagine a professional gathering that embraces this concept of sistering. A generous space rooted in a feminist leadership lens.
This is a space where you can arrive authentically—without a perfectly polished introduction.
In this room, you’ll meet a woman who sees something in you that you had forgotten.
Someone’s story that shifts the way you understand your own. A connection that begins with genuine curiosity instead of professional calculation.
There is something powerful that happens when women gather with intention. We exchange wisdom that can’t be found in a book or a boardroom. We make introductions, open doors, offer perspective, and remind each other: you are not alone.
This is the experience of Building the Feminist Economy.
A Beloved Evening Returns
I am excited to welcome Dr. Michelle Morkert back to ALTAR for our second, in-person Feminist Economy gathering on September 23rd.
Earlier this year, our first event with Michelle was a huge hit among the community. Michelle—feminist leadership coach, scholar, and founder of the Women’s Leadership Collective—guided us in thoughtful, engaging conversation that opened the doors to new opportunity.
That night we gathered with the simple, but powerful, recognition that care creates value. The next day, we created a Feminist Economy Directory where we could share our gifts, talents, and expertise—and ask others for a hand in finding solutions to our own needs.
This is the heart of a Feminist Economy: a space that honors care, reciprocity, opportunity, belonging, and community. And this is why I’m so excited to host this event again at ALTAR.
Gather With Us
If you’ve been searching for women’s networking in Chicago that feels more human, more intentional, and more meaningful, perhaps this is the room you’ve been looking for.
Building the Feminist Economy is an invitation to step away from the noise of the day-to-day. You’re invited into this room of open-hearted women who are asking how we can uplift each other and our communities. Experience what becomes possible when we stop treating connection as a strategy and start treating it as a source of collective strength.
Come with your questions and your wisdom.
Most importantly, come exactly as you are.
Building the Feminist Economy is Wednesday, September 23rd at 6pm at ALTAR Community. You can learn more and RSVP here. Curious what other events we have on offer? See our full calendar here.
