Raising a toast is a gesture that can mean a lot. It’s a celebration. It’s a memory. It’s a way to honor. It’s a way to connect.
And when Wednesday Women cofounders Leslie Greenwood (Chief Evangelist Consulting) and Melissa Moody (2 Pizza Marketing) attended Pavilion’s GTM 2023 event in Nashville, earlier this year, they decided to raise a toast to celebrate the beginning of the Wedsnesday Women initiative.
It was meant to be simple. Gathering at a set time, at a set location, simply to raise a toast.
But that small gesture, like all Wednesday Women is built on, created a big moment. Just like a small ripple creating bigger waves.
Our handful of women turned into a circle of 35+ women (and men!). Our gathering captured the eyes and interest of many other event attendees - including MC KD Dorsey! And instead of a simple toast, those gathered opened up to share their stories and personal interest in our mission. It was truly a moment to remember.
Executive Women Celebrating Each Other
It embodied a few key pieces of what we’re building at Wednesday Women:
This isn’t just for women. It’s for everyone who wants to see more examples of extraordinary female leadership in their feeds, on their stages, and in their lives.
It’s designed to be uplifting. We know equality is a hard battle that many organizations are working to reach. Instead, we focus on simply upping the volume of examples of incredible female leadership, that more unique and authentic examples can be seen and known by a broader audience.
It represents how women look: we are diverse in race, thought, age, and more.
And it’s all about starting small… knowing that small ripples create BIG waves.
At that toast, we also coined the name for our specialty drink: The Ripple.
Want to make a Ripple for yourself (or your next event!)? Here’s the recipe:
Recipe The Ripple (a.k.a. a Kir Royale)
Sweet, but not too sweet. And very sparkly.
Ingredients
3 to 4 tablespoons Crème de Cassis, Crème de Framboise or Chambord
1 (750 ml) bottle dry sparkling wine or Champagne, chilled
1/4 cup fresh raspberries, optional
Directions
Add 2 to 3 teaspoons Crème de Cassis to each flute. Drop in 3 to 4 raspberries. Fill each flute with sparkling wine. Serve immediately.
Looking for a non-alcoholic version? We’ve got you covered.
Recipe: The Non-Alcoholic Ripple
(Have a better name? Let us know at hello@wednesdaywomen.org)
Ingredients
1 can of Surely Brut (chilled), or 8.5 ounces of another non-alcoholic bubbly
1 cup blackberries
5-6 drops liquid monk fruit or Stevia
Directions
Add blackberries to a small pot and cook on medium heat, gently pressing the blackberries as they soften.
Stir in liquid Stevia or other natural sweetener. Adjust to taste.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
To serve, add 2 tablespoons of blackberry mixture to the bottom of each glass.
Top with Surely Brut or your preferred bubbly drink.
Garnish with a mint leaf or extra berries as desired.