Opening Letter 2010

Close to 8000 women have attended the global W.I.N. conferences and as this creation is turning 13 it is also growing up. It all started in 1994 when I began following my passion and working with women working internationally. Through listening to the women, to their needs and dreams, I understood that there was a need for a something like the global W.I.N. conference in the world. Through listening within, I also understood I had the competence, values, care and enthusiasm to do something about it.

Over 13 years I have seen a lot of progress and I know that right now we can celebrate the outstanding results of many a woman’s commitment, collaboration, inspiration and very hard work. I am also convinced that this is exactly the time for us to take another huge step into the future.

Something special is happening for women right now and I am sure you feel it too. The global media, corporations, NGO’s, the arts, government and citizens are focusing more than ever before on the wellbeing of women worldwide. It is as if everyone has started to wake up, all at the same time. There is a real transformation. It is bigger. It is exhilarating. It is urgent. There is a call addressed directly to us and it is requesting an answer, directly from each one of us.

Both pioneers and those that are just beginning, know, that the time has come to graciously take up much more space, take charge, embrace our beauty in all its forms and allow our feminine power to emerge as we set out to peacefully conquer the world, a world that is interconnected and that desperately needs leaders who profoundly care about it.

As we listen behind the headlines and statistics about depressed, overworked and stressed women in the West or poor women in Africa, we know, deep in our hearts, that there is a human being, a unique individual behind each story, with hopes, dreams and destinies.

We chose ‘Realizing Visions’ as the theme of the year, as it is obvious as we listen, that there are many needs and dreams that can be grabbed and translated into projects. With an abundance of talent, resources, humanity, sensitivity, total involvement, collaboration and sensuality we will succeed and take another step towards the transformation of the future of women.

So, we are gathered here in Paris to look at how to make this happen, to take a break for three days from our everyday lives and to envision, feel, think, imagine, dream, sense, and write down and share, what world we want to live in, how our ideal work would be and how you would like your life to be, including life partner, family and your community. What are our highest visions or greatest hopes?

During the next three days, I will encourage you to take notes, observe and discover your own truth and take good notice of what is close to your heart. At W.I.N. I like to say, that when the authentic feminine leader comes to life she follows her intuition, and knowledge and skills are her tools servicing her wisdom in action, not the other way around. She is committed and uses her integrity and resilience to defend her communities, her projects and her ways. She cares and that care has a strong quality - it nurtures and also fearlessly defends what she commits to. She is very, very powerful.

At W.I.N. we are interested in you and in how you do everything you do. Everyone and everything is interconnected and how exactly you, individually participate and contribute matters to the group as a whole. We empower each other, listen to our feminine intuition and in the midst of the sessions, workshops and people, stand with each other in a way that allows us all to flourish. As we meet to plan and to learn how to let life unfold, I welcome you to W.I.N. with a request to be present and open, ready to connect, quick to contribute, to take risks, commit and expect magic.

As I welcome the almost 800 new 2010 participants, I have deep respect and gratitude for the more than 7000 people who have been to W.I.N. over the years and who have formed the basis for our meeting in Paris. I couldn’t be without all the women and men who are passionate about what we do and whose enthusiasm for our work sustains me. I am grateful to all the sponsors who believe in and support W.I.N., often year after year. I also thank the speakers, coaches and the advisory board for giving their time and talent. Finally, I would like to especially thank the women on the W.I.N. team; women who have manifested year after year that it is possible to work efficiently and beautifully together coming from a variety of backgrounds, nationalities, religions and age groups.

And it is always time to celebrate, to be solid and light, to be curious and alive.

Let’s open ourselves for new solutions, let’s enjoy ourselves and, let’s begin.

Kristin Engvig

W.I.N. Founder and Director