Inspiring Courage Through Reflection: IPWS Season Kickoff 2025–26
The IPWS (International Professional Women’s Society) community in Shanghai opened its 2025–26 season with an energizing Thought Activator session — a signature event format designed to spark deep reflection and authentic conversation.
Unlike traditional speaker sessions, the IPWS Thought Activator brings ideas to life through active participation. Attendees aren’t just listeners; they think, share, move, and connect. This unique format transforms insights into shared experiences — turning a concept into something we feel together as a community.
For this season’s launch, the theme was “Inspiring Courage.” Together, we explored the psychology behind courage through the lens of growth and fixed mindsets — how our beliefs about our own potential shape the way we lead, learn, and live.
Before introducing the theory, I invited participants to take a stand — literally — for what they believed. “Stand up if you think talent is something people either have or don’t,” I asked. The room was alive with movement, laughter, and curiosity as everyone realized how our perceptions differ.
Through interactive prompts, stories from Michael Jordan, Jack Ma, and renowned artists, we examined how mastery rarely comes from innate talent alone — it’s built through perseverance, experimentation, and the willingness to fail forward.
The discussion quickly became personal. Many recognized how a fixed mindset (“I’m just not a people person” or “I’ll never be good at this”) can quietly limit growth — while a growth mindset invites us to try, stumble, and improve.
By the end of the session, conversations at every table turned inward:
- Where might I be holding myself back?
- How could I reframe challenges as opportunities to grow?
This is what makes IPWS so special — a community where professional women connect beyond business cards, exchange ideas openly, and walk away with renewed energy to act with courage and intention.
Here’s to a season of inspiring courage, growth, and connection.
Bring this to your team
If you’d like to experience this interactive format in your company or community, connect with me at INTANDID to bring Mindset & Leadership Workshops to your teams.
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