Meredith Moore launched Interesting Women Leaders in ATL Virtual Circles Luncheon so women could connect and have “bigger conversations.” The owner of Atlanta based Artisan Financial Services, Meredith surveyed the small group landscape and couldn’t find the right senior leadership group for women. She shared: “I wanted to create a space where people could have authentic conversations.”

A YPO client suggested Meredith try Circl.es after the client’s Forum gathered on the platform. The initial luncheon took place during the pandemic, and Meredith has continued hosting one every few weeks, inviting different leaders each time. She sparks conversation by asking three simple discovery questions, and says she’s blown away by the transparent way the women engage. Their vulnerability seems to flow from a combination of facilitated questions and the Circl.es platform design. “I don’t know exactly why Circles works, but something about it leads to open conversations.”

She’s referring to the X-factor that our team at Circl.es finds hard to put into words: the magic that groups experience when meeting on the platform. Meredith describes it this way: “I’m a financial advisor–not a psychologist. But these circles are like therapy.”

After gaining permission from each attendee, Meredith posts a screenshot on LinkedIn and tags participants as a way of connecting the women together, resulting in a curated community of females in corporate leadership. 

To gather women for each luncheon, she asks alum from the last circle to replace themselves. “There’s so many women who want to attend now; I think there’s a sense of luncheon FOMO.” As the world slowly opens back up, Meredith finds herself hesitant to convert the virtual luncheons into live events, saying “I’m fascinated by the amount that gets disclosed on the platform. I don’t know if people would feel comfortable sharing the same things face-to-face.”

Is this the kind of space you’re looking to attend or create? Let’s talk!