What Happens When You Give Women the Right Room
Some events are fun. Some events are meaningful. And then there are the rare ones, the ones where you look around mid-afternoon and think: this is exactly what I've been missing.
Float & Flourish was one of those.
“It was nice seeing familiar faces from the last event at this event. It felt like we’ve known each other for years. The day flow made me want to open up and go deeper.” - Collective member
On Sunday August 16th, the FemThrive Collective gathered poolside at the Rolling Hills Bay Club in Novato for our second event and what unfolded over three hours reminded us exactly why we built this community in the first place.
Set The Scene
Float & Flourish is our FemThrive Collective summer pool day experience at the beautiful Bay Club and from the moment guests arrived, the venue set a tone that our members noticed immediately.
One member described it perfectly: "Beautiful location, I felt very VIP at our private space next to the pool. This Collective is fulfilling the craving to be around like-hearted women having cool, fun experiences together."
We had exclusive access to a private poolside space, long tables, shade and fans keeping everyone comfortable in the August heat, and that rare combination of luxury and ease that makes a room feel like it was designed just for you. Because it was.
The afternoon opened on the courts with friendly doubles matches of pickleball. For many of our members it was their very first introduction to pickleball and within minutes of getting a paddle in their hands, the laughter started.
There is something about learning something new alongside other women that strips away every performance instinct. Nobody was trying to impress anyone. Everyone was trying not to hit their partner. And it was perfect. We didn’t want to stop playing.
The Long Table
After changing into swim clothes and freshening up in the Bay Club's locker rooms, we gathered poolside for the heart of the afternoon.
Wine tasting courtesy of woman-owned Trecini Winery & Charcuterie by woman-owned Golden Poppy Grazing set the scene. Christina from Trecini introduced her wines with warmth and expertise: guiding the group through a full tasting before moving to bottle service. One member put it perfectly, “That was the best Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever had.” Stephanie's charcuterie boards were abundant, beautiful, and disappeared quickly, which is always the highest compliment.
What happened next is the part that's hard to describe but easy to feel.
A group of like-minded and like-hearted women sat down at a long table together. Good wine in hand, good food in front of them, and something about the setting: the shade, the breeze, the pool shimmering nearby- that made everyone slow down.
One member put it beautifully: "The long table felt like a gathering of female minds. It brought good energy and felt like just the right amount of meaningful connection opportunities."
And Christina from Trecini, who has been to a lot of women's events in her time, said something that made us genuinely proud: "The way we had everyone introduce each other was so unique and so much better than any other events she’s gone to where women are just marketing themselves and it feels like they’re selling you."
That's the whole vision. Right there in one sentence. We are not a networking group. We are not a mom’s group. We are so much more than both of those.
Diving Deep with The Wheel of Life
After the kick off and the first pour, Bre guided the group through the Wheel of Life, one of our favorite self-reflection & connection activities that invites women to reflect on eight areas of their life and then share what they notice with the women next to them.
Groups of three gathered with reflection question prompts in hand, and for the next thirty minutes the conversations went somewhere real. Not polished. Not performative. Real.
Business and finances. Romance and intimacy. Health. Fun. Family. The areas of life we are always moving through but rarely stop to examine out loud in the company of women who understand.
The feedback captured it well: "This wasn’t small talk, this was meaningful conversation. Being able to even just say it outloud and allow myself to pause for a moment and check-in with myself, was truly a gift of time and validation.”
That word… meaningful… is the one we're holding onto. It's what we design for, every time.
Member Business Spotlights
As the afternoon wound toward its close we handed the floor to two of our extraordinary founding members for our business spotlight segment.
Megan Stewart of The Spoonlist: the Bay Area's most trusted local food and lifestyle guide with nearly 10,000 followers and a Substack community that's growing fast; shared her journey building a genuine, trusted voice in Marin's food scene. Megan is also the co-creator of the sold-out Sips & Stories event series and has launched B2B content marketing services for local food and lifestyle brands. Keep your eyes on her. She is building something special.
Kristel Acacio of Reverie Leadership Coaching: executive coach, PhD, former public sector CFO, and one of the most grounded women in our community; shared her work helping high-achieving women leaders build real capacity and sustainable energy without overwhelm quietly running the show. Her Reverie Leadership Framework™ is exactly the kind of work this community was built to amplify.
Watching these two women share their businesses in a room of women who were genuinely listening, not waiting for their turn to pitch, but actually listening, was one of the most beautiful moments of the afternoon.
The Sweet Send-Off
Every great gathering deserves a parting gift and ours came from Kate's Single Batch Toffee, a Marin-made small-batch confection from founder Katie Carrier's family recipe. Every guest left with a take-home treat bag that was as delicious as it was thoughtful.
What We're Taking With Us
One member summed it up simply: "It was a great event and I thought the value was far above the monthly membership price. Excellent food and wine. Gorgeous location. Incredible company."
Real value. That's what we're building- not just beautiful events, but an investment in the kind of community most women have been quietly wishing for their whole careers.
Float & Flourish was just the beginning of a very full season. Here's what's coming next for FemThrive Collective members:
Flow, Glow & Swap September 10th · Sausalito
Rodeo & Revelry September 19th · Wing & Barrel Ranch, Sonoma
Hike, Bite & Repeat October 3rd · Mill Valley
Create Your Legacy November 8th · San Francisco Yacht Club, Tiburon
Members attend every monthly wellness event free.
Join the Collective
If you weren't at Float & Flourish- this is your invitation to make sure you don't miss what's next.
The FemThrive Collective is a private, referral-only membership community for women founders and women in business. Membership is $39/month with no contracts and no commitment beyond the community itself.
👉 Apply at femthrive.com/collective
Referral required, if you don't have one yet, reach out directly and we'll connect you with the right person. Because that's what this community does. We open doors for each other.
See you at the next one. 🌿
FemThrive Collective · femthrive.com/collective · @femthrivecollective