The ORB Network Launch Event is Tee-d up!

Happy August everyone! After a few months of thinking, planning and connecting with wonderful supporters of The ORB Network, I am excited to share that The ORB Network launch event is shaping up to be fun-tastic!

A big thank you to Evergreen Golf Club in Redmond for partnering with us to host a wonderful event. It’s a beautiful location, and I can’t wait to meet you there on September 23rd!

Our first event blends leadership insights, with wellness tips, golf coaching and networking and tickets just went on sale: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-orb-network-launch-event-registration-1578888069719

PAR-TEE!!!

💬 Leadership Coach – Be Fearless: We’ll kick off with a 20-minute fireside chat with Mitra Azizirad, President and Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft.

With over 33 years at Microsoft, Mitra has led many innovative and high-stakes organizations, trailblazing and doing what she loves most: writing on a blank sheet of paper. Mitra often uses this metaphor to underscore what it means to create something from nothing, to disrupt and innovate. Her leadership style embodies the tenacity required to leap into the unknown, as does her favorite mantra to ‘get energized by the word no.’ Mitra is clear that being a fearless leader doesn’t mean you don’t feel fear; it means you take the leap anyway. Mitra will share insights on what it means to be a fearless leader, cultivating self-belief, persevering, and becoming your own best advocate as important keys to driving resilience, inner strength, and growth.

🧘 Wellness Coach – Breathe, Balance & Swing: In this 10-minute wellness segment, Kaila Bongiovani will guide you through simple yet powerful breathing and stretching techniques designed to energize, refocus, and release your inner fearless golfer.

Kaila’s work is guided by a simple truth: our lives are a manifestation of where we invest our energy—and when we care for that energy, we elevate our leadership in the office, on the golf course, and everywhere in between. Kaila is a dynamic professional who bridges the worlds of business and wellbeing with equal passion. As a corporate leader and certified yoga instructor, she’s dedicated to helping busy women reconnect with their breath, bodies, and inner clarity.

🏌️ Swing Coach – Confidence at the Tee: Whether you’ve never picked up a club or you’re working on shaving a few strokes off your game, our swing coach, Bronte Polette, will meet you where you are and share tips to help you play with skill and confidence.

Bronte volunteered with the First Tee Organization for over 10 years as a golf coach, program manager and event co-ordinator and I am so excited to partner with her to bring many wonderful experiences to The ORB Network.

🤝 Networking – The 9-Hole Insights Challenge: Thanks to Evergreen Golf Club, we have access to four state of the art simulators where you can get swinging and work on completing your scorecard challenge - meet nine amazing women, gather nine fresh perspectives and submit your completed scorecard for a chance to win a fun prize.

🍷 19th Hole – A Taste of Local Women-Owned Flavor and Fun: One our goals is to showcase local female led businesses and I am grateful to Salt and Light Boards and Sugar Byte Market for providing a wonderful selection of charcuterie and cookies.

I am really thrilled by the reception so far and looking forward to continuing to grow the community with you all.

The ORB Network is in full swing!

Two weeks after launching The ORB Network, I am humbled and excited to share that already 60+ ladies have joined. I’ve had this idea for quite some time and after retiring from Microsoft and taking a breather from corporate life, I decided to nurture the idea and here we are! Thank you so much for the incredible support.  The ORB Network is in full swing!

Since launching, many women have reached out sharing their personal stories - many missing in-person connection, many women have prioritized everyone other than themselves, others want to play golf but don’t know where to start, and others are intimidated to sign up on a timesheet with strangers, and so many more. All these stories resonate strongly with me.

My hope is that The ORB Network will offer women in the greater Seattle area a valuable platform to develop new professional relationships, gather insights and fresh perspectives on leadership challenges, all while learning and growing confidence in the wonderful game of golf.

My goal is to host 6 ORB Network community events per year in addition to organizing monthly ORB Network golf outings at local courses. Perhaps in the future I will organize trips to Ireland but for now I am focused on getting our first community event organized!

I am designing the first event around 4 core experiences:

Golf: For beginners we will introduce you to stance, grip, form and swing; for more advanced ladies we will try to work on tweaks to help you knock some shots off your game. Either way, we'll help you stay on par with your goals!

Wellness: Golf requires physical and mental strength, as does powering through our workdays! We will learn techniques to calm our minds and strengthen our muscles.

Leadership: I am tee’ing up a great fireside chat with a fantastic lady leader to share insights on some tough challenges.

Networking: I know entering a room full of strangers can be intimidating so I am structuring a networking activity for you all around a fun 9-hole scorecard challenge.

It’s going to be a blast, and I will share more details in two weeks…I am so excited!

Thanks!

Orlagh Neary

Founder, The ORB Network