Our last Women at the U event, a social/networking event for employees at the University of Utah, brought several "new" people -- those who had never before attended a UWHEN event.

Whether they were new or not, everyone agreed that attending these events was a highlight of their week/month...and we had a great discussion about how we have literally THOUSANDS of women on campus, many of whom seem to want to participate in events like those which UWHEN offers, but attendance is a small fraction of that number (no shaming here -- it was a genuine question of understanding how to address any concerns).

One thought that came up from the group was that women, in general, have a hard time doing things for themselves.

Soak that in...does that sentiment surprise you?

I have to say, it doesn't surprise me. In fact, I just read the book burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski (my two new lit crushes - check out their podcasts as well), which talks about a concept called "Human Giver Syndrome." This is essentially the idea that some humans have a moral obligation to give their humanity to others.

Could this be a reason why women don't focus on themselves or attend events that would benefit them? Curious what your thoughts are.

Maybe I should let people know that they can help give to OTHERS by attending...because it's true. I receive so much each time to go. I’m not above using people’s own HGS (Human Giver Syndrome, that is) to give back to them!