14 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Blazing Willows weaving professional connections
Joanne Zuk is fired up.
The Winnipeg-based business strategist and consultant is the founder of Blazing Willows, a curated community and event series where women and gender-diverse professionals can network and share ideas.
Zuk was inspired by a trend she noticed in the organizations she's worked with over the last three years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the professionals she encountered were feeling a sense of disconnection from their peers.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press BIZ - Blazing Willows Photo of Joanne Zuk, (shorter hair), a business strategist with clothing business owner The article is about Blazing Willows, a series of events where women and gender-diverse professionals who have often felt left out of traditional networks can get together. This is for a biz article that will appear in the paper later this week. Must Have Pockets because it's where the first Blazing Willows event was held. Story by Aaron June 11th, 2025
'We're really lacking meaningful opportunities to just connect without selling (and) just connect for the purpose of building community,' Zuk said.
At the same time, as a self-employed consultant who works from home, Zuk was noticing a lack of connection in her own professional life.
In January, she hosted the first Blazing Willows event at Must Have Pockets, a clothing store in south Winnipeg. She advertised it on LinkedIn as an opportunity for solo consultants to compare notes and the 20 tickets sold out in short order.
Participants enjoyed wine, snacks and networking. Midway through the event, Must Have Pockets owner Leanne Ryan gave a short talk on how to optimize a capsule wardrobe to simplify one's life.
The only rule for participants was the event remain pitch-free, so they could concentrate on relationships over sales and connection over business.
Zuk donated event proceeds to the North Point Douglas Women's Centre.
Meantime, 250 people joined the Blazing Willows mailing list, Zuk said, including CEOs, early-career professionals and retirees looking for a place to connect with younger generations and share wisdom.
'It was an interesting response,' Zuk said.
She sent a survey to the mailing list, asking people why they had signed up and what they were looking for. Nearly 100 people responded and it became clear to Zuk people were looking for an inclusive, sales pitch-free space for real connection.
Subsequent Blazing Willows events will be open to people from any profession. There's also a LinkedIn group people can join after they sign up for the mailing list at
Zuk launched the initiative in January as Old Girls Club — a riff on the term 'old boys' club' and the idea networking and influence should be hoarded in back rooms by the same people who have always held power.
After realizing the name didn't quite capture what she was trying to create, she changed it.
She was inspired by a conversation she had with Paul Guimond, an elder in residence at Red River College Polytechnic. Guimond told her about how willow trees bend without breaking. Their roots stabilize landscapes and support entire ecosystems.
The 'blazing' part of the name, according to Zuk, speaks to the fire and vision it takes to carve new paths forward.
The new name aligns more fully with Zuk's vision of a community where people show up for one another with integrity, reciprocity and support.
When Robyn Penner Thiessen heard about Blazing Willows on LinkedIn, the diversity, equity and inclusion consultant signed up immediately.
'As an entrepreneur running my own business, it is lonely because you're not part of (a) larger organization,' Penner Thiessen said.
'To be with other like-minded women who are working to create something that has impact … is something I was interested in.'
Zuk is an authentic person and that's coming through in Blazing Willows, Penner Thiessen added. 'It's not just a surface-level group and she's not just a surface-level person.'
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Zuk is hosting the second Blazing Willows event Wednesday evening at a co-working space in Osborne Village, with proceeds benefiting Clan Mothers Healing Village. Tickets are sold out.
Blazing Willows community members will dictate what future gatherings and endeavours look like, Zuk said. While she is hosting and supporting the initiative, it will evolve based on what participants care about.
'I always (used to feel) like I was in competition with the women around me and it wasn't really until the last couple of years of my career that I (realized) that is the dumbest, dumbest way of looking at things,' she said.
'There's opportunity for us to create something different if we work together (and) if we grow together.'
Aaron EppReporter
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
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