MPLS MadWomen is back....as Wintry Mix!
If you’re like many in our community, you’ve likely noticed we’ve been quiet over the last year or so. After the pandemic completely upended the way we think about events and connection, we took some time to regroup, reflect and reconsider what we can bring to people who self identify as women and nonbinary folks in the creative space, with an emphasis on prioritizing BIPOC talent. As we looked around we saw that, in the years since MadWomen had begun, a number of other organizations with similar missions had emerged.
While this is a fabulous thing, it pushed us to reconsider the role we should be playing. We talked to our colleagues, industry friends, and members of MadWomen. What we found was women still needed help navigating and growing their careers. They needed safe spaces where they could have honest conversations with people who had experienced and overcome similar challenges. In short, they were craving mentorship.
Lucky for us (and hopefully for you), we have a fair amount of experience facilitating and fostering mentorship relationships. Over the next year we plan to put this experience to work again, but we realized our name no longer quite suits us. We needed a name that reflects both our renewed focus on mentorship as well as our expansion to careers outside the traditional agency space, including those on the client side, freelancers, entrepreneurs and more.
So, what’s with the name?
Winters in Minnesota can be lonely and isolating. Running between late fall into early spring every year, our mentorship program provides a bit of joy and connection in the midst of this. Something to look forward to as the air turns crisp and threatens to drop icy flakes on our community. A chance to get out and meet the bright, talented and supportive people who self identify as women, nonbinary with an focus on BIPOC talent who power the creative space in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Our playful name reflects all this, inviting those craving a winter filled with growth, new beginnings and camaraderie to get in the mix. Best of all, WM allows us to keep all the beautiful brand Little & Co. created for MW with just a few palette tweaks.
What does this all mean?
Honestly, things aren’t going to look too different than they did in 2019 when we announced a renewed focus on mentorship. We’ll start recruiting in September, work our matching magic in October and host a kickoff event in November. We’ll be prioritizing in-person connection because we know everyone’s been feeling a little distant. Throughout the year we’ll be sending out prompts and thought starters and hosting a few events to help mentors and mentees connect.
The 2022-2023 season will be a rebuilding one, which means we’re capping participation at 75 mentorship pairs (75 mentors, 75 mentees, 150 participants). Our hope is this will give us a chance to work out some of the kinks so we can continue to grow and serve even more people in the coming years.
How can I get involved?
Sign up for email updates (don’t worry, if you’re on the MadWomen list, we’ve still got your email) and watch your inbox for details on how you can be a mentor or mentee. Be sure to follow our socials as well:
We’re also looking for volunteers to support us with events and comms, if you’d like to help us out, drop us a line.
Can my business become a sponsor?
Absolutely! Our number one priority is getting the mentorship program back up and running, so we’re still working through what sponsorship could look like. That being said, we’re open to suggestions and would be happy to chat.
What else do I need to know?
Just that we’re so excited to be back out in the community. We know it’s been a rough few years for everyone and super appreciate your continued support as we figure out what’s next for the organization. Please bear with us as we get things rolling again and transition everything to the new name.