When women support other women, it’s a phenomenal thing. Whether professionally or in personal matters, when a woman has your back, you know you have more than just a helping hand. You have someone who gets it. Who gets the truth about living life with the expectations placed on us (by society and by ourselves), who gets the physical and emotional backdrop in front of which our multi-tasking lives play out. North American culture generally has this undertone of individualism and competition. But times are changing, friends. I really see it. I see the ways we are moving toward communities of women who support each other in childcare and who build each other up in business.

One such powerhouse community I have been following on social media is Vancity Business Babes, one of Vancouver’s largest networking and resource groups that aims to educate, connect and inspire young, professional women. Founder Danielle Wiebe started the group two years ago based on her belief of cooperation over competition. Since then she has been a beacon for countless entrepreneurs while giving back to the community in creative and authentic ways, such as The Gift of Giving she launched two years ago.

And behind every successful woman is a tribe of women cheering her on. When Danielle’s friend, Jennifer Pereira, nominated her for a random act of kindness through #LMOKindness, I was touched by the words she used:

“Danielle is the remarkable young lady behind Vancity Business Babes. As the founder, she has made it her life’s work to create and enable a community for women in Vancouver to come together in entrepreneurship and collaboration. What sets Danielle apart is her heart. She does everything possible to support community initiatives – often at her own expense. Danielle devotes countless hours to bettering Vancouver and creating a positive experience for others. Anyone that meets her is immediately inspired by her huge smile and heart. Despite facing stress and challenges, she pushes forward.

Danielle is truly inspiring. I think receiving a random act of kindness would be one small way we could give back to Danielle as a token of appreciation for all that she does for 1000s of other people in our city.”

Since Jennifer contacted me I have gotten to know her better too, and I should say, we should all be so lucky to have a friend like her.

One of our favourite sponsors who has shown incredible generosity toward our charitable endeavours – Brooklyn Designs – donated a stunning necklace for this particular random act of kindness. All of Brooke’s creations are easy to pick out in a crowd because they are classy and simple with a boho vibe – perfect for everyday wear or layered up for a more formal look. You will also find Brooklyn Designs on celebrities on T.V. shows, movies and news stations! Their pieces are so well-priced you don’t even have to wait for them to go on sale to grab some – but they do have these huge clearance sales every so often that just blow my mind. Visit their site and sign up for their newsletter to stay abreast of all the special offers in 2017. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and you can never go wrong with a gift (for yourself or someone else!) from this local jewelry designer. Thank you again so much for your generosity, Brooke! You are also the epitome of creativity and kindness!

Follow Brooklyn Designs on Instagram for more looks and style inspiration.

Danielle received the Laurel Aqua Chalcedony pictured here:

brooklyn designs, laurel aqua chalcedony, taslim jaffer, let me out creative, random acts of kindness, LMOKindness

Once again, the #LMOKindness project is a TEAM effort! Thank you to Jennifer for nominating Danielle and thank you Brooke for this beautiful gift of kindness.

If you are interested in participating in the program, it’s easy! Just fill out this nomination form if you know anybody who could use a little token of appreciation.

We really couldn’t run this initiative without our sponsors, so if you are a local business with a desire to give back to the community in this unique and personal way, please be in touch with me for more details. I love shouting about entrepreneurs and individuals who make it a point to keep their business charitable. ** If you don’t have a product or service that can be donated but would still like to participate, I have plenty of ideas that we can talk about!

taslim jaffer, let me out creative