Through her inspirational speaking programs and relatable style, Tina Van Steenbergen is challenges the societal norms that tell women to shrink themselves, empowering them to boldly take up space, build each other up, and create communities rooted in mutual support and strength.
(not the sorority you’re used to…)
Sororities were built because women. need. women. That was true then, and is true now. Being a woman in college is HARD. Between educational expectations, leadership positions, campus involvement, internships, relationships, friendships, family, and ya know, balancing the weight of society’s expectations of us, it’s hard to believe we make it through each week. That’s where other women come in.
Sorority, when done right, can be a magical experience every woman deserves: a sisterhood. And yet, sororities don’t always live up to their full potential. A real, true, powerful sorority is inclusive of all women. A real sisterhood cares not about your background, bank account, or social status—they care only for you.
“We really valued the empowering and inviting space Tina created for our community to reflect and create positive connections. Lehigh Panhellenic is still reeling over their Enneagram results”
Together we can become better friends, better sisters, and better women. Together we can redefine what it means to be in a group of women. And together we can create a sorority experience that every woman wants and deserves.
Joining a sorority changes our lives in so many badass ways. Most meaningfully, sorority opens doors to genuine, meaningful friendships with other women. These friendships, otherwise known as sisterhood, is exactly why most of us seek out and eventually join a sorority in the first place!
And yet, in the midst of these deep friendships lives the dark side of “girl culture.” We talk behind each others’ backs. We choose jealousy and resentment over support and love. We compete instead of congratulate. One of the real challenges in sorority life is acknowledging some of our less-productive impulses and tactics and using our love and talents to steer our way to better relationships and better cultures.
Sorority is worth our time. Sisterhood is undoubtedly worth our time. We just need a few new perspectives and tools to build and celebrate those relationships.
Because it might not be automatic, but it is 100% worth it!
Do you feel confident? Do you feel proud or empowered? The truth is, many of us don’t–instead, we feel isolated, disconnected, and not very confident in ourselves. We want to feel truly connected to our sisterhood. We want to feel genuinely confident in ourselves. But between school, work, friendships, family, relationships, finding time to eat and needing to sleep every few days, is it even possible?
Yes, it is possible!
Sororities have been telling the world that we are women’s empowerment organizations, but what does that look like in day-to-day sorority life?
In this session, we’ll learn and practice actual women’s empowerment strategies that you can take back to your chapters and councils. Sorority can be the key to connection, empowerment, and confidence for every one of us – especially when we come together.
Do you feel that? The heavy, burdensome weight you’re carrying around? Not the actual weight of your physical body–that’s not nearly as heavy as the weight of our body shame.
We feel so much shame about our bodies! Every day, everyone struggles with guilt, shame, or even hatred about some part of the way we look. Less than 10% of us are happy in our bodies right now. And yet, we carry this weight around all the time without ever talking about it.
Sure, we vent to our friends about how we feel in our bodies, and we trade diet tips before big trips or events. But outside of that, the conversations we have about our bodies happen in our head, and they are not positive or kind. But you are not the only one in your community stressed about your body, and there’s power in discussing it.
In this session we’ll learn how to have real, powerful, and healthy conversations about our bodies, and most importantly, how to set down all that weight we’re carrying.
Have you ever apologized for being too emotional? Or for being too loud? Too dramatic, too big, or just too much? So much of the messaging we have received as women in our culture sounds like, “Shhh. Be nice. Be easy. Make yourself smaller. Shrink, please.”
We have been conditioned to take up as little emotional, mental, and physical space as possible. So we keep our opinions to ourselves. We don’t ask our questions in class. We strive to shrink our bodies. We apologize, all day long. In so many environments, we feel like we have to shrink ourselves.
But what if you, your emotions, opinions, or body, are not the problem? Or a problem at all? The expectations placed upon women in our society are the real problems here.
Let’s come together and begin to free ourselves from these expectations of shrinking. Because you deserve to take up as much space in the world as anyone else–and you don’t have anything to be sorry for.
While these are the topics Tina speaks on the most, she often takes these concepts and adapts them to the audience and vibe you need: recruitment, PNM orientations, leadership conferences, health and wellness weeks, etc. She is also happy to build something from scratch for you–so if you don’t see what you need here, send us a message and we’ll get you in touch with Tina!
