Sweat. Weights. Crunches. Pitbull. Sports Bras. – Not your usual descriptors for a powerful networking event, but exactly the way we kicked off Levo League on the West Coast last week at Equinox gym. With a San Francisco-based group coming together for a high-energy workout class, a great sweat was all we needed to get the community jazzed up about connecting and spreading the Levo love.

The shared experience of having a room full of girls lying on Pilates mats, everyone’s abs dying as we completed what felt like our thousandth crunch to the tune of One Direction, was a-typical of most networking events but had a special way of bringing everyone together. Walls came down, nerves dissipated, and what was left after an hour of burning buns was a commonality that all of us could revel in-we got our butts kicked and had fun doing it. You could call it the ice breaker of all ice breakers.

That Post-Workout High

Connections seemed to flow freely after our hour at the gym. Girls who had come into the lobby not knowing a soul as they sipped on Kale smoothies, later crossed the street and headed to happy hour exchanging ideas on women’s initiatives and professional experiences from their own respective companies.

The workout and post-workout happy hour was definitely one of the most engaging networking events I’ve been too, which was echoed in the comments of those who attended. Something about the commonality of our experience acted as a catalyst for much more natural conversation, sharing of ideas, and exchange of stories. It was probably the endorphins!

Hello, West Coast

As a West Coast ambassador, it was a gratifying moment for me to look around at the group of women who attended NetWorkout and be truly proud of this community that I stand with. It made me smile to hear how impressed everyone was with the similarities they all shared: driven, interesting, educated and endearing. NetWorkout brought together so many like-minded women who before, would have had very little chance of ever meeting each other –as everyone came from much different career fields, companies and parts of the city.

Each of the girls who showed up, most not knowing anyone, brought with them an energy and presence that can only be described as inspiring. They shared their evening with a group of strangers, but left each of us with a piece of their brilliance and a commitment to elevating one another. The connections made and experience shared is just the beginning of a Levo community on the west coast that will develop more camaraderie and strength between us.

NetWorkout left all of us hungry for more-more shared experiences, more personal connections, and more fun. From New York to San Francisco, and all the space in between, our personal connections with one another is what gives this league life and kindles the fire to spread Levo Love to others.