I start every SheFi season with a slide from Adam Grant that shows the real learning journey. Not a neat staircase to mastery, but a winding road. A scribble. Loops, detours, and backslides before things start to click.

That scribble? It’s where every SheFi woman starts. It’s where I started, too.

Every worthwhile journey requires discomfort. I tell my students: it’s not about immediate mastery. It’s about showing up, doing the quests, and asking the questions even when it feels uncomfortable.

Moving to New York in 2016 was one of those scribbles.

I had lived in Chicago for over 20 years. It was safe, familiar. And then suddenly I had to start over. New apartment. New roommates. New job. I felt lonely those first two years. I cried walking down the bustling streets of Manhattan, wondering if I made a mistake. But I reached out to people, went to music shows alone, and said yes to every invite. I was doing the work to build a life.

That move introduced me to crypto. It brought me to Consensys. It led me to SheFi. It gave me my partner. That move changed everything.

Joining Consensys in 2017 was the next wave of discomfort. I left my cushy IBM job for a world I didn’t fully understand. I stood in a Bushwick office surrounded by engineers and acronyms that made no sense. Business hires weren’t seen as equal. I felt like I had to prove I belonged.

Imposter syndrome was heavy. I didn’t want to ask dumb questions. But Tyler Miller told me, "Read the Ethereum whitepaper every night until it makes sense."

So I did. I read. I downloaded MetaMask. I stayed curious. And six months later, I co-founded a company with AMD.

Even SheFi started in doubt. People said it wasn’t needed. Too niche. Just a “cute” idea. That women didn’t need a separate space to learn Web3. Everything was on Twitter, right?

There was no business model. No sponsors. Just me, an idea, and a belief that women deserved to feel powerful in Web3.

It was uncomfortable to keep going without proof it would work. But I launched it anyway. I ran workshops during lockdown with slides I wasn’t confident in. I stumbled through answers. I was learning alongside my covid cohort. But I didn’t stop.

Now? Thousands of women. 14 cohorts. Sponsors. Global community.

Every life-changing move I’ve made started with discomfort.

Breastfeeding has been one of those journeys too. People warned me breastfeeding would be painful. But no one told me how painful. No one told me how emotional it would be to watch my baby struggle to latch. How helpless I’d feel when it wasn’t working.

Eight weeks in, I woke up and realized it didn’t hurt anymore.

I actually enjoyed it. The bond. The rhythm. The oxytocin.

Something had shifted.

We had crossed the threshold—the one you only reach by going through the discomfort, not around it.

The kind of discomfort that makes you question everything. That makes you cry on the subway. That makes you want to run back to what’s safe.

But you can’t shortcut the mastery scribble.

You have to live it.

So if you’re in the messy part right now—good. Stay there. Don’t give up. Ask questions. Keep going.

Mastery comes later.

Exclusive Access to The Base App 🟦 

The buzz around the new Base App has been palpable this week.

From the LA launch event to custom blue juices, influencer hype, and panels introducing this new hub for the global onchain economy – it’s clearly the start of something big.

And guess what? SheFi is part of it. 💫 

Season 14 members are getting exclusive early access to the Base App. While the platform is currently invite-only through the Base team, we’ve secured thousands of access codes just for our members.

Huge thanks to Base for partnering with us this season and opening the doors to this powerful new platform.

With SheFi, the perks and possibilities are endless. ✨

Keep an eye out on the SheFi Hub in Mighty Networks for your code! Stay tuned…

Content We Loved This Week 🫶 

Week 2 of Season 14 has been JUST as exciting as Week 1!

SheFi Summer is off to an incredible start, and the hype on socials continues to flourish.

Here are some posts that stood out. 🤭 

Be sure to always tag us @shefiorg for a chance to be featured! ✨ 

SheFi’s Crypto News Roundup 🏇 

Let’s get you up to speed with all of crypto’s latest happenings! Take a peek:

• Markets welcome better economic data: inflation, retail sales and earnings. The S&P 500 gained ~1% last week, powered by June CPI/PPI matching expectations, strong retail sales, and solid corporate earnings

• Trump Signs GENIUS Stablecoin Act, Crypto Week Scores Major Wins. The GENIUS Act officially went into law, establishing US rules for stablecoins and rounding up three major crypto bills in “Crypto Week”

• Telegram rolls out TON Wallet for U.S. users. Telegram introduced its TON Wallet in the U.S., enabling seamless in‑app crypto transactions

• OpenAI seeks additional capital from investors in $40 B round. OpenAI is reportedly raising more funding to accelerate expansion and groundwork for next-gen AI systems

• Google's newest Gemini 2.5 model aims for “intelligence per dollar.” Gemini 2.5 focuses on delivering high AI performance cost‑effectively.

• New AI system CellLENS uncovers hidden cell subtypes, boosting precision medicine (MIT). Researchers unveiled CellLENS, an AI tool that identifies subtle cell patterns to streamline cancer immunotherapy development.

In this industry, there is NEVER a dull moment! Always stay up to date on our social media.

Travel Scholarship from Avalanche 🔺 

Another reminder: we are once again partnering with Avalanche to offer a travel scholarship!

This time it’s for LATAM Women+ student developers to attend Devconnect ARG.

If you’re a student currently enrolled at a university in Latin America, check out this form to be considered!

👉️ Share your wins so we can celebrate them 👈️

SheFi & Crypto Events 🌎

Going to ETHCC, Token2049 or Devcon? Join our Global Events Telegram Chat: https://t.me/shefisummit

Are you based in Barcelona and want to get more involved with SheFi? Then reach out to Paloma here!

SheFi Opportunities:

• Travel Scholarship Application – DevConnect 2025: Apply here

SheFi events:

• 7/23 Lisbon: SheFi Meetup Lisbon: RSVP here

• 7/23 Virtual: SheFi Africa Community Discussion: Members only

• 7/25 Virtual: Investment Cluster Yield Farming Roundtable: Members only

• 7/26 UAE: Shefi UAE - Mani Pedi Meet-up: RSVP here

• 7/30 Dublin: Crypto Céilí: RSVP here

• 8/1 LA: LA SheFi Early Happy Hour Meet up: RSVP here

Other events:

• 7/30 London: Ethereum London Relaunch: RSVP here

• 7/30 Prague: 10yrs of Ethereum meetup: RSVP here

• 7/30 Accra: Ethereum 10Y Anniversary Accra: RSVP here

• 7/30 Munich: Ethereum Turns 10: Munich Beergarden Edition: RSVP here

• 7/30 Tokyo: Ethereum 10Y Anniversary Tokyo: RSVP here

• 7/30 Argentina: Ethereum 10 Years Meetup: RSVP here

• 7/31 - August 3 Mexico: UNLOCK Summit 2025: SheFi members gets a discount with the code SHEFI15

• 8/9 LA: SheFi LA Beach Day: RSVP here

• 10/21-22 London: Zebu Live: SheFi members gets a 20% discount with the code SheFi20

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