The Power of Community Connection: Why Women Rising Together Matters
- Women of Toledo
- May 28
- 7 min read
This month, Women of Toledo’s founder and executive director, Nina Corder, had the distinguished honor of delivering the keynote address at the Women in Change Festival—part of the larger Helló Margit! All-Arts Festival in Budapest, Hungary.
In alignment with Budapest’s 2025 theme, Year of Women, Nina was invited to speak on the power of women’s leadership and the importance of building communities where empowered women uplift and empower others.
Below is the full transcript of Nina’s keynote speech, delivered on May 15, 2025, at the Helló Margit! Festival. The transcript has been slightly edited to fit the blog format.
A Message for Women in Leadership
Good morning. Before we dive into today’s message, I want to invite us all to arrive. To be present….Truly arrive. Because I know what it took to get here. So let’s take 30 seconds… just for us.
You don’t need to close your eyes unless you want to. But just plant your feet. Sit tall. Loosen your shoulders. Let your hands rest softly. Let’s take a deep breath in together... through your nose…Hold it at the top for a moment…And release slowly through your mouth. Let’s do that again. Breathe in—deep and slow. Hold. Now let it go. One more. Inhale with strength. Hold. Exhale anything that’s not serving you right now.
That... right there—that’s what we rarely get as women. A moment to center. A moment to just be. And today, we’re going to talk about why connection to ourselves and to each other is not just a luxury. It’s a necessity.
Nina's Story as a Community Organizer
My story as a community organizer began with a research quest to understand organizational culture and community – in specific how individuals like me who were NOT born in the United States – end up in the Midwest area of Ohio, a city called Toledo, in which I did not born or grew up, or have family, or go to school….how do we find ways to connect and adapt within the community that we now live, work, and raise a family. In other words, how do you find the value and transition within the community that is not given to you?
Because of curiosity, I discovered more than what I bargained for.
Because of courage, through the listening session, I discovered that we should not ignore many of the stories shared, life lessons, and experiences…
Ordinary and extraordinary stories were told, unpacking the reality of being a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, a leader, an artist, and other barriers or biases we encounter daily in community and globally.
When a woman shares #herstory, we all learn to respectfully listen, learn to relearn, and suddenly, become aware. Organically, mentorship grew as we offered and sought advice from one another. We educate, engage, and empower one another.
Conducting the research and meeting other women as part of the listening session, I discovered that I also needed the community connection during that stage of my life. I knew I needed strong, empowered women around me, in a way that was a refuge to my sense of belonging.
Humans are wired for it. We need to be seen and accepted as we are.
“The opposite of belonging is fitting in. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be… Belonging is being accepted for who you are.” — Brené Brown.
Toledo’s community helps me heal, the women of Toledo see and value me as who I am, hence it gives me the superpower of human connection.
I do believe you create your own power, similar to the way you create your own opportunity. The bigger question is – how are you using the power to create opportunities for others? Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase before: “You cannot give what you do not have”.
That’s my story of becoming me – as a servant leader that wants to contribute…. how can I add value and understand how support looks for others at the current moment or situation?
You are here because you are founders, leaders, caregivers, mothers, mentors, builders of teams, businesses, and families.
And while we wear our strength like armor, many of us are quietly wondering:
“Where do I feel deeply supported?”
“Who truly sees me, not just what I do?”
The answer is found in one word: connection.
Today, I want to share about the life-giving, world-shifting power of community connection—and why it is essential for us as women who lead, build, and care.
Community Connection is a Woman’s Superpower
Let’s get honest. Leadership can be lonely.
Owning a business or leading a company can feel like walking a tightrope without a net. Balancing motherhood and ambition can leave us feeling both maxed out and invisible.
But when women come together—truly come together—something extraordinary happens.
McKinsey & LeanIn.org’s 2023 “Women in the Workplace” report found that 43% of women leaders are burned out, compared to 31% of men—largely due to emotional labor, isolation, and lack of peer support.
But community changes the game. It shifts us from “How do I survive this?” to “Who can I lean on and grow with?”
Community Matters in Every Arena We Touch
1. In Business, Networks drive deals, funding, visibility, and growth. Only 2% of venture capital in the U.S. goes to women-led startups (PitchBook, 2023), but women who engage in strong support networks are more likely to secure funding and scale their companies (Funds for NGOs).
“Your network is your net worth.” - Anonymous
2. In Leadership – Community fuels resilience. It gives us space to process, share, and strategize. A Harvard Business Review study found that women with a “strong inner circle” of other women are 2.5 times more likely to land leadership roles.
“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.” - Anonymous
3. In the Workplace – Connection improves collaboration, loyalty, and innovation. Women leaders are more likely to mentor, advocate, and build inclusive teams, yet they often lack peer support (American Psychological Association).
4. In Family and Community – We model the connection. We’re often the emotional anchors and organizers.
Women Need Community Now More Than Ever
Why now?
The U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health crisis in 2023 (CBS News).
Women—especially working mothers and entrepreneurs—report feeling isolated despite being constantly “on.”
The American Psychological Association reports that women are 1.5x more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, with isolation being a major contributing factor.
But here’s what’s powerful: Women have always been the architects of community. We just need to give ourselves permission to receive what we so often give.
Five Ways Women Build Real Connections
Circles over silos – Invite others in. No one wins when we compete for scarcity.
Celebrate, not compare – Her win doesn’t take anything from you. It expands what’s possible.
Ask for help – Vulnerability is leadership. Period.
Mentor intentionally – Someone out there needs your story.
Protect your peace – Energy is not infinite. Save your “yes” for what feeds you.
Six Simple Practices for Building Community
It’s not magic. Its intention. Here are six simple practices.
Show up consistently. Your presence is powerful. Trust takes time.
Listen more than you speak. Seek to understand before you offer advice or contribute.
“I suspect that the most basic and powerful way to connect to
another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most basic
thing we ever give to each other is our attention. And especially if
it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no
need to do anything but receive them. Just take them in. Listen to
what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times, caring about it is
even more important than understanding it. . . . We connect
through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to
let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention
to ourselves. . . . I have even learned to respond to someone
crying by just listening. In the old days, I used to reach for the
tissues until I realized that passing a person a tissue may be just
another way to shut them down, to take them out of their
experience of sadness and grief. Now I just listen.”
- Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom (1996)
Create inclusive spaces. Welcome different voices. Diversity strengthens connection.
Celebrate milestones. Birthdays, promotions, recoveries—mark them together.
Support in hard times. Empathy during struggle builds unshakable bonds.
Tell your story—and listen to others’. Stories humanize. They connect where data alone can’t.
“People think stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.”— Terry Pratchett
The Ripple Effect of Women's Connection
When women connect:
We start businesses that change lives.
We raise children who believe in equity.
We lead teams that feel seen and heard.
We create policies that reflect compassion.
We transform pain into purpose and legacy
Studies show that communities with high levels of social cohesion and female leadership have higher well-being, better health outcomes, and stronger economic resilience (World Bank, 2022).
A Call for Women to Rise Together
To every woman here: You don’t need to do more. You don’t need to be “stronger.”
You just need to be connected and supported.
Let’s stop trying to outperform burnout. Let’s stop glorifying overwork and isolation. Let’s build tables where we are fed, not just featured.
Because when women are connected, we’re not just powerful—we’re unstoppable.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”— Helen Keller
Let’s rise together. Let’s lead together.
Let’s build the kind of community that builds us and has our backs.
Let’s stop waiting for someone else to create a connection.
Let’s be the spark. The open door. The safe space.
Because in a divided world, community is resistance.
In a lonely world, connection is medicine.
And in every world, love is power.