Celebrate International Women’s Day with Our WELL Employee Resource Group

Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the strength, intelligence, and achievements of women around the world. It’s also a day meant to shine light on the unique struggles faced by women, bringing attention to issues like reproductive rights, violence against women, and gender inequality. 

At Thrive Market, our employee resource group WELL (Women Excelling in Leadership and Learning) does this every day of the year. The group was established to unify our female-identifying employees, offering a safe and encouraging place to voice opinions, share advice, and discuss issues that affect women in the workplace (and outside it). Through open forums, book club discussions, and the occasional brunch meetup, WELL has created a welcoming and inclusive environment for women at Thrive Market to learn, grow, and support one another in their careers.

This International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting a few members of WELL and sharing what makes this employee resource group so special. 

What was the most memorable activity you’ve participated in as a part of WELL? 

“There have been so many amazing speakers and activities, but my favorite was the Open Forum after Roe v. Wade was overturned. In the days after the decision came down, it was a somber time for me. I was outraged by the unprecedented rollback of women’s rights that had just happened. Thinking about how the decision would affect women across the country was weighing heavy on my heart, to the point that it became difficult to work with this issue at top of mind. The Open Forum gave us the opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings with each other. It was empowering to know that I was not alone. Many of my fellow Thrivers, both women and men, felt the same way I did. The WELL Open Forum served as a light in a time of darkness by providing me with a sense of empowerment through togetherness. And for that I am grateful.”
-Kacy Murakami, Talent Operations Specialist 

“One of my favorite meetups was when we casually met for happy hour via Zoom and talked about the joys and stresses of the holiday and shared suggestions on unique gifts to give during the holidays. I was fairly new to the company at the time, so the open chat really helped me quickly meet many of the women at Thrive Market. I also really enjoyed when our group met for a virtual forum to talk about our feelings about Roe v. Wade. So many women in the group opened up and shared personal experiences. We cried, we laughed, we shared, and it was truly a moment where I felt connected to my female colleagues.”
-Brie Tomaszewski, Talent Acquisition Partner

“One of the most memorable moments of being a part of WELL for me is the time ten of us met up for brunch near our headquarters. Because it was smaller and more intimate than other gatherings, I got closer to women I normally would never talk to at work, and we had an absolute blast. That’s my favorite part of this group – the connections you wouldn’t normally make in your normal day-to-day.” 
-Yasmine Borno, Marketing Associate

What mental and emotional benefits do you get from being a part of an employee resource group like WELL? 

“I believe our WELL group brings women together in a wonderfully authentic and vulnerable way. When the group meets, whether virtually or in person, we are able to let our walls down and open up. There is never any feeling of judgment.”
-Brie Tomaszewski, Talent Acquisition Partner

“Knowing that you’re not alone, and you’re not in an isolated vacuum, specifically as a woman. WELL is a safe forum for women to speak how they feel, what’s coming up for them, in lieu of hiding something. It’s a safe container to articulate your emotions and what your true desires or fears or worries are.”
–Alyssa Kluge, Communications Director

“When you’re in a community of other women who you see excelling, leading and learning, you realize that you have those traits within yourself as well.”
-Perdita Paria, Lead People Ops Specialist

How does WELL support working mothers?

“Prior to my maternity leave, WELL had an amazing speaker, Ara Katz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Seed. She inspired me through her example as a mother and as a successful woman in leadership. Talk about how women can do it all! She just had a baby and was on a Zoom call with 30+ women sharing her story about how she founded Seed, all while pumping on the call! In this moment I realized that not only can I survive as a working mother, but I can thrive.”
-Kacy Murakami, Talent Operations Specialist 

How does being a part of WELL help to empower female employees and encourage career development? 

“WELL is really about the connection, the community, the culture, and the capabilities that we can all build together as female leaders.” 
-Amina Pasha, Chief Marketing Officer 

“There are a multitude of paths to success. And where a path doesn’t exist we can build it, which wasn’t really the case a few decades ago.”
–Ani Khachatoorian, VP of People 

“One huge takeaway for me was seeing everyone’s journey and how they got to their current role. You can only learn so much from your own experiences, and another way to gain so much is by listening to what others have been through and learning from them, too.” 
-Perdita Paria, Lead People Ops Specialist

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WELL Recommends: Books, Podcasts, Websites & More 

WELL frequently hosts guest speakers to teach members about topics like public speaking, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance; they have an active book club, which has thoughtful bi-weekly discussions; even their Slack channel is teeming with great recommendations for resources like personal finance websites, online courses, and personality tests. In the spirit of resource sharing, we asked our WELL members to share recommendations that other women (or anyone) might find inspiring, helpful, and thought-provoking.

“Julia Boorstin’s “When Women Lead: What We Achieve, Why We Succeed, and What We Can Learn” was my favorite of the last year.”
–Alyssa Kluge, Communications Director 

“I first heard of Tiffany Aliche, aka The Budgetnista, on a podcast and found her book really helpful when it comes to personal finances.”
-Kadeesha Lockworth, Senior Demand and Analytics Planner

“I’ve watched this Ted talk video so many times now and always felt inspired by Reshma Saujani’s words. She’s done an amazing job representing women and their struggles, especially in tech.”
-Priya Ubriani, Data Analyst, Operations 

“I recommend the book “Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Pérez and the Financial Diet YouTube channel.”
-Kristen Moran, Senior Copywriter, Acquisition 

“I found Her First $100k in 2020, and she’s helped me immensely with all things retirement, savings, etc. Highly recommend!”
-Carina de Santiago, HR Business Partner

“The book “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz is one of my faves for personal growth and life lessons.”
-Natalia Rehman, Digital Designer 

“I’m not even a mom, but I still find the One Bad Mother podcast valuable and fun.”
-Adrienne Lotto, Copywriter 

“For personal and mental health, I recommend all the books by Nora McInerny and Jenny Lawson.”
-Dawn Kane Con, QA Nutrition & Regulatory Manager 

“I recently found Dr. Ali Rod, aka The Latina Doc, on Instagram, but she also has a blog! She’s an OBGYN and talks about health, lifestyle, and body/women positivity. Highly recommend her!”
-Kaysee Yamauchi, Learning & Development Coordinator 

“I loved the book “Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family” by Anne-Marie Slaughter.” 
-Laura Levin, Managing Editor, Member Engagement