Grateful Connections

10/21/2026

Tomorrow is the 4th Thursday!! Want to join us at the Frunchroom???

10/21/2026

Everything we do at Grateful Connections comes back to a few simple beliefs. Grow your circle, grow your business. Build the relationship and the business follows. Be more interested than interesting. And always choose collaboration over competition, because there is more than enough room for all of us.

That’s why every event I host follows the same journey: Comfort → Connection → Clients. When you feel comfortable, you connect. When you connect, you build real relationships. And real relationships turn into referrals, collaborations, and clients. Your next client is probably in someone else’s circle, and I love helping you find her!

Two upcoming events bring that to life:

🤍 Tuesday, October 27, 11am to 1pm, Nirvana Kitchen and W**e Bar
“From Comfortable in Your Skin to Confident in Your Work,” a luncheon brunch with keynote speaker Liz Hansen, founder of Chicago Bo***ir. This is the comfort piece. It’s so much easier to show up and connect when you feel at ease in your own skin. Tickets: $35

🤍 Friday, November 6, 9am to 12pm, Hotel Indigo, Vernon Hills
“Sold on Yourself” workshop with Emma Mulvany and me. This is the clients piece. You’ll learn the mindset and the words to ask for the business without ever feeling pushy.
Tickets: $79

Save your spot at gratefulconnections.com/events. Bring a friend, because the best connections happen when we show up together. I’m cheering you on! 🎉

10/15/2026

Confidence in your skin changes how you show up in your business. 💛

In this clip from the What Gratitude Built podcast, Liz Hansen of Chicago Bo***ir shares why she believes body confidence is the basis for almost everything we do, in business and in our personal lives. When you believe in who you are, you show up differently on screen, at networking events, and when you price your work. And these days, showing up in your business isn’t optional. People buy from people.

This is exactly why I start with comfort at Grateful Connections. When women feel comfortable, they connect. When they connect genuinely, the clients follow.

Which one is hardest for you right now: showing up on camera, walking into a room of new faces, or saying your prices out loud? I’d love to hear in the comments. I’m cheering you on either way!

🎙️ Listen to the full episode: https://www.gratefulconnections.com/podcast/lizhansen

🥂 Join Liz and me in person for brunch on October 27 at the Nirvana: https://go.gratefulconnections.com/body-to-business-confidence-3512

Not only is brunch amazing, but the connections you'll gain are amazing, and the presentation from Liz will be amazing!! I hope to see you there!

10/12/2026

What happens when the truest version of you gets to lead? ✨

On the newest episode of What Gratitude Built, my friend Emma Mulvany of Empowerment by Emma and I talked about Internal Family Systems (IFS) and all the different “parts” we carry around. There’s the people pleaser, the inner critic, and the one who insists everything’s fine, even when your body is telling you something totally different.

I loved how Emma explained it. When those parts feel safe enough to step back, your Self gets to lead, and that’s the part of you that’s curious, compassionate, courageous, and clear. She said that when we connect with others from that space, those are the most genuine connections. I mean, come on! That’s what Grateful Connections is all about. 💛

🎧 Listen to the full episode, “You Were Never Meant to Do It Alone,” here: https://www.gratefulconnections.com/podcast/emmamulvany

And if this conversation speaks to you, come spend a morning with Emma and me at Sold on Yourself on Friday, November 6, from 9am to noon at Hotel Indigo in Vernon Hills. Emma goes first and helps you find the moments you go quiet, and then I give you the words to ask for the business. We’re keeping it to 25 women so everyone gets real support. Save your seat here:
https://go.gratefulconnections.com/sold_on_yourself

10/08/2026

What does feeling confident in your body have to do with feeling confident in your business? More than you might think.

I'm so excited to welcome Liz Hansen, founder of Chicago Bo***ir Photography, to Grateful Connections this October for a luncheon brunch exploring exactly that connection. Liz has spent over a decade photographing more than 2,000 women, and she's built her business around the belief that every woman deserves to see herself as confident and worthy of celebration.

Here's what I've learned from watching her work: when a woman feels comfortable in her own skin, it changes everything else too. She takes up more space. She stops shrinking before she's even said a word. She asks for what she's worth instead of apologizing for it. That's the heart of what this luncheon is about, the way body confidence and business confidence are more connected than most of us realize.

We'll spend our time together hearing real examples from Liz's own entrepreneurial journey, practicing a few affirmations and activities from her new book, and building real relationships through connection circles with guided networking. I know networking can feel intimidating, especially if putting yourself out there isn't your comfort zone. That's exactly why we guide it. No one stands alone in this room.

This one is intentionally kept small, limited to 30 seats, so every connection gets room to actually happen.

📅 Tuesday, October 27
🕚 11:00am-1:00pm
📍 Nirvana Kitchen and W**e Bar, Hawthorn Mall, Vernon Hills
🎟️ $35, limited to 30 seats

Reserve your seat here: https://go.gratefulconnections.com/body-to-business-confidence-3512

Can't wait to see you there!

10/08/2026

You know the moment...

You're talking with someone who genuinely wants to work with you, it's going so well, and then you get to the part where you say what it costs. And you hear yourself round the number down. Or throw in something extra. Or say it and then immediately start explaining it.

Or maybe you never even get there. The conversation is lovely, you both say how great it was, and it ends with "let me know if you ever want to do something." Then nothing happens, and you quietly decide you're just not a salesperson.

I sold for twenty five years before I built Grateful Connections, fifteen at Medline Industries and ten at GE Healthcare. So here's what I know for sure: you're not bad at this. Nobody ever handed you the words, and nobody ever helped you with the part of you that goes quiet right when it matters most.

So Emma Mulvany and I built a morning that handles both.

Emma goes first. She'll help you find the exact moments you hand your authority over to someone else. Then I'll give you three simple conversations that take a woman from a first hello at a networking event all the way to being your client. And you'll practice them out loud before you leave, with a partner who is every bit as nervous as you are.

Because real connection isn't the warm-up act for business. It IS the business.

Sold on Yourself
Friday, November 6
9:00am to 12:00pm
Hotel Indigo, Vernon Hills
$79, including coffee, light snacks, both sessions, your take-home conversation guide, and Circles of Connection networking

The room is small on purpose, because everyone needs a partner to practice with.

Grab your seat here: https://go.gratefulconnections.com/sold_on_yourself

And if there's a woman in your life who needs to be in this room, tag her below. 🤍

10/07/2026

I got out of my own comfort zone, and put together a workshop, "Find the Words", to describe your business in a short, concise way. We all had such a great gathering learning how to talk about our businesses by starting with our WHY.

When you share the why behind your business, you're definitely likely to connect with people who are going to align with your beliefs and your mission, and easier to connect with your ideal client.

This workshop went so well, and we got so connected and shared our depth that it actually went over, and we have to do a version 2 tomorrow.

I can't wait to refine this series a little bit and do it again because my heart is happiest when real connections are made and business is the result.

09/25/2026

We had our second gathering yesterday, The Art of REAL Conversation. I had a lot of fun sharing tips and tricks for developing authentic relationships to help build your business from my 25 years of sales experience. Tuesday morning, we will be at For Customs Sake in Mundelein where we will be working on sharing your business in a concise and memorable way. It's limited to 12 women so everyone feels supported. We have a few spots left, and I would love to see you there! Here are the details: https://go.gratefulconnections.com/comfort-connection-confidence-september2026

Send a message to learn more

06/24/2026

Starting in July, these gatherings will be the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month! I'd love for you to join us tomorrow, June 25th for connection and business conversations! How can we together, help grow your business? I would love to see you there!

03/10/2026

Good morning, Grateful Friends!

I had such a fun conversation with Sonja, co-owner of the North Shore Distillery here in Libertyville. She and her husband, Derek were the FIRST small batch distillery in IL. The crazy thing is back then there were only 60 in the entire country, and now there are over 5000!!!

I would love for you to check this out! We are going to the distillery for our next Grateful Connections Gathering next Wednesday, March 18th!! I'm excited to hear Sonja share some great stories of the history of women in the alcohol business.

Our gatherings are for all women in business- no exclusions based on business expertise. PLUS- I make sure it's a safe place to connect for those who may find networking intimidating. There will be small group gatherings with conversation starters ready when you get there- no standing around wondering who to talk to and what to say!

Get your tickets here:
https://go.gratefulconnections.com/lush_ladies_northshore_distillery

Click here for the podcast- or you can find it on any of your podcast apps:
https://www.gratefulconnections.com/.../northshoredistillery
https://go.gratefulconnections.com/lush_ladies_northshore_distillery

Join us for Intentional Connections (Networking) with Sonja Kassebaum at Northshore Distillery to Celebrate Women's History Month