Uncomfortable Community Conversations

Uncomfortable Community Conversations are where we tackle what some would say is the hard or taboo stuff, because growth happens in the uncomfortable, and that’s what we want for our community, small businesses, and you. It’s where we stop being nice and start getting real.

Reserve your spot at the next conversation.

Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause

September 24 | 4:30–7 p.m.

Hosted by the SBAM Women's Business Council & 8THIRTYFOUR

8THIRTYFOUR Learning Hub | 1365 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids

Perimenopause is finally entering the chat, and it is the Wild Wild West.

Running a business doesn’t stop when you enter The Pause, we don’t have the luxury of choice; everyone depends on us – our employees, clients, families, communities and the dog. Everything falls on our shoulders, and we carry that while operating at a severe physiological deficit.

Expecting business owners to sustain companies and hold up the world while the general public gets the ‘ick’ at the mention of our bodies, physicians hand out antidepressants as a solve, and politicians ignore our existence is exactly why we are hosting this Uncomfortable Conversation.

We’re done caring how you feel; we’re demanding the basic policy, accommodations, and human decency we have long deserved.

Women are not only a driving force in Michigan’s workforce, they also own nearly half of our small businesses; that makes supporting women through every stage of their careers, including midlife, essential to the strength of our small business economy. Creating a more menopause-friendly workplace starts with awareness, empathy and practical flexibility – meeting people where they are so they can continue to lead, contribute and grow.

Kelli Saunders, Michigan Women’s Commissioner and Vice President of the Small Business Association of Michigan

Women own 44.6% of businesses in Michigan.

We make up 50.1% of the U.S. population.

4100 Certified Menopause Practitioners exist in the U.S.

The math, ain’t mathing.

Like a lot of women do, I called my girlfriend, and I said, ‘what is going on, I’m cussing out my husband who has done nothing wrong, I’m having these hot flashes, not sleeping, what do I do?’ and she said ‘call you doctor and he’ll probably write you a prescription for a little white pill, antidepressants.’'

How about how menopause affects the frest of my and other women's lives, and how we don't feel supported, educated, or cared for [by] our physicians because they're not educated and because insurance companies don't cover things that might help us during this time, and how about the fact that there's not enough research done on women's health [when] it comes to menstruation, hormones, and our bodies.

I left my thriving corporate career 2 years ago because I thought I was burnout out and still postpartum (five years later). Had I had the education on perimenopause to know that I at 41 was not too young I may have made a different choice.

Get uncomfortable with us. Register now.

Find comfort in the uncomfortable.

You can sit around and complain about it, or you can do something to change it, and we’ve chosen the latter.

We all attend networking events. We exchange what we do. We share titles, companies, quick pitches. But rarely do we pause to ask: How could we do this better—together? And ahat can we learn from each other that actually changes how we show up in our work?

This space created that opportunity!

This conversation is exactly the kind of work our region needs: employers, young professionals, students, educators, and community leaders sitting at the same table to talk honestly about what is working, what is missing, and how we close the gap.

Thank you, Kim and 8THIRTYFOUR, for creating space for the uncomfortable — and necessary — conversations that help build stronger people, stronger teams, and a stronger West Michigan workforce.

Thank you for hosting another fabulous event!

It was exciting to see your new space, see some famous faces and meet many new ones.

Uncomfortable Conversation is a gem because it blends authenticity, networking and learning. Plus fabulous food, drinks, and energy.

What happens when you make a networking event uncomfortable on purpose? Productive conversations. That's what happens.

I had such a great time sharing my experience as a young professional, looking employers in the eye and talking about the unspoken tension between them and my generation.

Shoutout to Kim Bode for creating a space for these conversations and for being part of the solution.