What are we thankful for this Thanksgiving, in addition to all of you? Our new website!!!!!!!!!!

In 2004, The Link For Women established the first premier community for women of all walks of life, becoming nationally renowned in less than a decade. Almost eight incredible years later, we are proud and thrilled to present to you our new website which shows how we have grown and evolved.

What's new?

1st, the new site is really beautiful and efficient! Our thanks to two of our long-time partners for making it happen. The art is by Robin Damore (you may have been to an event at her gallery (www.robindamore.com). The layout is clean and efficient thanks to Machele Brass of Brass Design(www.brassdesign.net). We hope you find it warm, inviting and unique!

2nd, we have clarified our message. Our mission has always been to help you flourish, thrive and connect. We provide services (special events, seminars, consulting and coaching), "PATHWAYS" to use your inherent talents, opening "DOORS" to be the catalyst in your own life. The Link is a SAFE place to try things out. We believe that if you are clear on where you want to go (VISION), you can then articulate it (VOICE) to people (COMMUNITY) who can help you get there. Our updated logo includes the concept of VISION. VOICE. COMMUNITY.

3rd, we have a new way of navigating to our services. We have a new home page, www.thelinkllc.com with three new categories. You can still still reach us at www.thelinkforwomen.com.
The Link For All We are often asked to provide our expertise to businesses and groups. Sometimes it is specific to women, sometimes not. Our services include business consulting, keynote speeches and panel presentations.
The Link For You Sometimes people want to dive deep into developing their VISION, VOICE or COMMUNITY. Our Seminars and Executive Consulting provides an excellent way to accomplish this.
The Link For Women Our roots are based in our membership organization where we provide events that bring smart, accomplished women together to learn something new and be inspired. Our signature Speaker Series and Workshops continue to be the foundation of our events. Our very special Members-Only events provide our members with truly unique opportunities to connect. And by request, we are bringing back our Members Only Dinners this past November.

4th, We have a more robust membership offering in The Link For Women.
a. The membership directory is searchable by name and industry.
b. You may access your profile, add your picture and provide access to previously private information such as your email address.
c. We now have three levels of membership. Click Here to see which one suits you best. Please consider upgrading your membership to take full advantage of our multi-tiered membership levels, which offer greater benefits and visibility.

5th, Members have log-ins and passwords. To access to their membership profile, for both active and inactive members, please follow the process detailed below:
1.Go to www.thelinkforwomen.com or thelinkllc.com and click on "For Women".
2. Enter your username and password provided in the introduction of this email, which should say Dear _______ (your name) (Username, Password).
3. Review your membership profile and update as necessary. This page provides all the information regarding your membership with The Link For Women. You will have the option of listing your email information on our website and your name will be listed in our searchable online database. Please upload your photo.
4. On the right side of your profile page, you have the ability to change your password. Please remember that passwords are case-sensitive. Your new member number is directly related and in consecutive order to when you became a member. Hopefully, this will make it easier to remember although you will not need it to log into the site.

PLEASE, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US AS WE LAUNCH THIS NEW SITE...YOU KNOW HOW THESE THINGS GO...WE ARE TESTING THE NEW CAPABILITIES AND EXPECT A HICCUP OR TWO DESPITE THE LONG AND TEDIOUS PROCESS OF TRYING TO ELIMINATE ALL BUGS. AND...PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES OR COMMENTS.

Feel free to call me at 503.709.8041 or email me at cindy@thelinkllc.com.

What's coming up?
EVENTS
Members Only Holiday Happy Hour at DJ's
Mon., Dec. 19
The gorgeous and gracious home of DJ Wilson
Learn More

Famous Women and their Infamous Wills
sponsored by Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP and US Trust Tues.
Jan. 10
Learn More

SEMINARS
A Seat at the Table (and GETTING IT!) A 5 month leadership development program for emerging women leaders Begins Jan. 12
Learn More

Let us know what you think!

Warmest regards,
Cindy Tortorici
CEO/President/Founder
cindy@thelinkllc.com
503.709.8041

You Tube

Check out our You Tube page for tangible examples of the "Link Affect:!

October was a BUSY month...lots of learning and LINKING with really smart inspiring people, focusing on neuroscience.

At our October event, a career workshop, Portland's Business Anthropologist, Marsha Shenk, explained how our brains influence our relationships. "Spark and Juice" inspired many women at the Hotel Deluxe on Oct. 13 and asked for more! A full day workshop will dig deeper into the concepts on Jan 28. Click Here to learn more about the Full Day Workshop.

We explored neuroscience and leadership at the Creating WE Institute Summit on Oct. 29/30 at the home of Judith Glazer...the author of 2 best selling books: Creating WE and The DNA of Leadership and Co-Founder of the Institute. 16 thoughtleaders from around the world (US, So Africa, Mexico and Bolivia) came together to learn new techniques to incorporate neuroscience into our work. We intend to pool our talents to help companies create sustainable change in their organizations. The weekend really opened my mind (no pun intended!) to how the brain interprets and reacts and gives context for why we behave the way we do.

I picked up 2 books to help me get ready for these events: A User's Guide to the Brain and The Female Brain. Incorporating neuroscience into our toolkit adds an additional dimension to our leadership work. We will incorporate these concepts as we consult with business and coach individuals. Fascinating!

Got Goodness?

Have you ever really thought about what "goodness" means? We explored the subject on Thursday August 19 at the Damore Gallery in the Pearl District of Portland. Janna Mock-Lopez is the publisher and creator of Goodness Magazine and we asked her to share her story and why this subject was worthy of a monthly publication.


Check out our short video for an overview Got Goodness? (love that Flip video!)


Special thanks to Ann Schatz who stepped in as guest moderator!! Ann often speaks about the concept of "Kindness" and was eager participate! Watch for more "Ann" in the future!

Dead End Gene Pool

"When do you think you first realized, really knew, you were privileged?", I asked Wendy Burden, author of Dead End Gene Pool, as we started our event on July 20 at the fabulous gallery of Robin Damore in the Pearl. Odd, no one had asked her that before. "I just always KNEW", she replied. "How and when does someone realize they are white? You just KNOW." Wendy shared the story of her Vanderbilt heritage with humor and candor. Can't wait for the next book about her life in Portland!!!





The evaluations can be summed up by the following quote:

"Loved everything about the event; the speaker, location and the sangria(YUM!) I spent a long time with the owner of the gallery, Robin and really enjoyed getting to know her. She is SO talented! Looking forward to going back for another event!"

Here's a great shot of the group. Take a look at the upper right corner of this picture. It's an incredible portrait that Robin is creating of 4 gorgeous children .

All attached pictures provided by Robin Damore. http://www.robindamore.com/

Special thanks to Maria Corbinos, President of MidVida Sangria. She offered an endless pour of her family recipe of white or red sangria, soon to be available in Specialty Markets everywhere!
Tracey Novell wrote to Maria:"I thought I might share what your company and Sangria inspired": http://anunmarriedwomen.com/2010/07/sangria



You can sign up for the MiVida Sangria newsletter so you can be the first to know when the delicious, natural drink is available in stores and restaurants. http://www.midividasangria.com/

It was another great evening of smart women coming together to learn something new and be inspired! Thank you all for contributing to the evening! ~Cindy Tortorici, CEO The Link For Women

Catching up

So, I know we've been a bit delinquent in adding to our blog. I could give you a bunch of excuses but it’s just not my style! What I will say is that I am thankful that Google finally let us in!

So I'll be honest...starting in May of 2009, we really noticed a difference in the way people are attending events. In our 7th year, we thought about how to reinvent the intimate, meaningful events that bring smart, interesting women together in a different way. No offense to the hotels in town but we needed to try a few new venues. Our members wanted us to shake it up a bit. So, starting in April, we started using smaller venues, limiting the size and expanding the offering to include a glass of champagne. The reaction has been amazing! The energy is just different! It sort of feels like the early days of The Link!

For members only - We discontinued the members only dinner and will be replacing it with a new format this fall that will be less formal. These events create an opportunity for members to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Here's what's been happening...

We'll start backwards so to be as current as possible.

In June, Lisa Sedler, the COO/President of our local crown jewel, New Seasons Market, was the featured speaker. Lisa is smart, interesting, INTERESTED and speaks from the heart!! Here's a video to share a bit about the evening with a few people who answered the question "Why are you here tonight?” http://www.youtube.com/user/thelinkllc1 (Aren't we getting fancy!)

The evening got rave reviews!!! The food at Chez Joly is amazing and the ambiance is spectacular! As we expected, the room was a bit cramped since we SOLD OUT! We are getting allot of good comments about limiting the number to 40....attendees feel as though they can meet more fabulous people! All comments were exceptional for the speaker. Here's a sample of the remarks:

Really great event - impressive woman who represents a business really representative of this city and which is on the frontline of its industry.

Lisa was a terrific speaker; so honest, authentic and REAL. It was a pleasure to spend an evening listening to her. Not only is she working for a company that seems to hold the same values that I do but was frank about the struggles New Seasons has as well.

I do enjoy a more intimate setting with limited amount of guest. The venue seemed full and comfortable.

Great food. A little too crowded of a room for good conversation. Otherwise fabulous.

In April, an extraordinary entrepreneur, Sunny Kobe Cook, joined us, traveling to Portland from her home in Seattle. If you lived in Portland in the early 90's, you know Sunny! The founder of Sleep Country USA, Sunny ruled the airwaves and the jingle still echoes in my head! She sold it (bigtime!) and is now a motivational speaker and business coach. http://www.sunnykobecook.com/

Her specific words of wisdom:
1. Talk to everyone!
2. Try something NEW everyday!
3. Be Grateful!

This was our 1st event at Chez Joly and we were WOWED by the food and gracious welcome from the owners, Annette and Christian Joly! They also offered each person a glass of champagne as they entered the room! Check them out at http://www.chezjoly.com

As with any new venue, we had a few kinks to work out but overall, it was great! Escargot, Pommes Frites and Champagne...what else does a girl need?

Some comments about the evening:

Tremendously uplifting amazing evening. This was my first time and I will be back and bring others. What perfect timing in my life to join such a great organization.

I like SKC's 3 recommendations...something to walk away with! Super group of women last night...lots of new faces...! Always a treat to see you all!

Hi - this was my first meeting, and I loved it. Sunny was inspirational, with some great "quick tips" for empowering oneself. The members are welcoming, professional and fun - and - yummy - those pommel frites. Thank you for a great evening.

I LOVED the space and the food and the charming owners.... I didn't like the LOUD, ongoing noise of the kitchen appliances....

In March we addressed a serious issue for women, Heart Disease. Did you know that...heart disease and stroke is the #1 killer of women! Dr. Sandra Lewis has been studying the female heart since 1986 and is recognized as one of the best cardiologists in the country! Ambassadors for the Go Red for Women campaign were there to share their story, including Kathy Ryan, who, while running in Hood to Coast, suffered a heart attack. The petite, fit, marathon runner is the last person you would guess to have heart disease. Her story was captivating!

The event was at Hotel DeLuxe and while we love this space, the food was a bit off this time.

Comments on the event:

Dr Lewis was warm & friendly as well as knowledgeable.

The food was lousy this time!

Loved the evening and learned allot!

In January, Bill McCormick, founder and Chairman of McCormick and Schmick's, kicked off the year with lunch at the Hotel DeLuxe.

We loved highlighting this exceptional man and hearing his fascinating story. Bill is the ultimate host and raconteur. Returning last year from a 3 year assignment in New Zealand as the Ambassador, his perspective on world affairs was an unexpected addition to his life story. The lovely Gail McCormick, a 2x speaker for The Link, joined her husband at the event and was acknowledged for the great work she has done around the world as well. What a team!

Comments included:

He and Gail have also had a wonderful partnership/marriage and it was nice to see him speak to her and the things they have endeavored to do as a team.
Interesting story but little take away.

Meeting over lunch was a great idea. Thanks for such an inspiring speaker -- Bill is someone to emulate!

We're caught up...whew! You can check back monthly now!

If you missed our members only event this week...I'm so sorry! It was amazing! I had my eyebrows waxed and tinted, my hair washed and styled, my makeup done AND I finished my Christmas shopping! Then the food...special Turkish delights...and the bubbly made it so fun!Thank you FADA Salon staff for all of your free services and Oya Kara for the opportunity to shop from your jewelry collection. Sharon Korter introduced slimming body garb that really works! And Sharon looks amazing after a really successful weight loss. (my 2010 goal!)

What a great way to spend an evening! as always, the women of The Link made the evening fun and interesting!

Have a wonderful holiday everyone! Be blessed and fulfilled!

cindy