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  • Coffee with the Ladies

    Ladies! Come and Join us Saturday, January 11, 2025. The Ladies WHO Lunch Network is kicking off our Monthly Networking Event!

     “It’s more than just coffee!”
    COFFEE WITH THE LADIES 

    Come enjoy lunch, networking, and valuable connections with a group of Vancouver’s most influential women!
    The party starts in…

    WHEN

    January 11

    Saturday January 11, 2025 9:30AM PST 

    WHERE

    Perchance Cafe

    3363 DUNBAR Street, Vancouver

    TICKETS

    CAD $25 NON-MEMBERS

    MEMBERS – FREE

    What to expect

    Expert advice from our host on how to grow your business!

    THIS MONTH'S EVENT HOSTED BY
    MARIA KRITIKOS, LWL FOUNDER

    Each month will feature a different guest expert highlighting their area of expertise and helping our members with the challenges facing growing a business.

    Maria Kritikos

    Maria is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who went from teaching high school to starting her own international school at the age of twenty eight and later going on to launch a Teacher Training Centre. Maria’s sociable nature and business savvy led her to a successful career selling real estate in Vancouver. As a single mom, her true passion lies in connecting and inspiring women to realize that anything is possible for themselves.  

    She is the founder of the Ladies WHO Lunch® Network & creator of the She’s in Biz Blueprint and Idea to Reality Course, who believes that surrounding yourself with like-minded, positive and inspirational individuals is the most successful formula for creating and manifesting your dreams. Her mission is to inspire women to be fearless & fabulous by helping them realize & live out their dream.  

    Maria is the author of “Girl With A Plan” Success Strategies for Life & Business.

    To receive your exclusive invite to join LWL visit: http://www.JoinLWL.com

    Ladies WHO Lunch® Network is a global premier business & social networking group for women entrepreneurs with a dream that want to make a difference in the world. It is a forum where like-minded women gather to empower one another, raise social awareness & gather inspiration to conquer the world fearlessly. To join visit: http://www.JoinLWL.com

    Want to become a member of LWL?

  • Ladies Who Lunch New Year New You

    PROUDLY PRESENTS

    “Lunch With Maria”
    New Year New You

    Come enjoy lunch, networking, and valuable connections with a group of Vancouver’s most influential women!
    The party starts in…

    WHEN

    February 1

    11:30 AM – 2:30 PM PDT 

    WHERE

    The Arbutus Club  

    2001 NANTON AVENUE VANCOUVER BC V6J 4A1 

    TICKETS

    CAD $49.00

    Exclusive of processing fees & GST/HST

    “Maria Kritikos is larger than life in the most elegant of ways. She is constantly seeking out ways to connect women in business. Having had the privilege of speaking at Ladies WHO Lunch, I know the positive effects that these events, and Maria personally, have on those who attend. It starts as a lunch with style and purpose. Hower for many it is the starting point of something bigger. Ladies WHO Lunch is one of those unique events that every woman should experience at least once.”

    Tracey Drake, Editor of Niche Magazine

    “Maria you are an amazing young lady! You are a great hostess, you organized an amazing, detailed luncheon with very interesting speakers, you are also a graceful speaker, well-mannered and so much appreciated by the hundreds of ladies there! I will definitely not miss any of your amazing future luncheons. Oh!!! I forgot the hats… I loved them all. You looked like a model or actress coming out of a magazine or a movie!!! Thank you for the introduction. You and all your wonderful members of the community made me feel, welcomed, loved and important. In no time, I felt part of your Ladies WHO Lunch group with all these amazing inspirational women around me. You are making all of us Greek women very happy and proud. A big Bravo from my heart!!!”

    Golfo Tsakumis, Philanthropist, Artist & Founder of MAHI Society

    Videos + photos of past LWL Events

    “Dear Maria, Thank you so much for the amazing afternoon! I am so grateful to have been a part of the event, you are inspiring and have done a wonderful job with Ladies WHO Lunch!”

    Cara McLeay, Founder of a Fashion Love Affair

    “I was there… It was a wonderful event and as always connected with some amazing women. I am so grateful for the friendships that have developed from the women I’ve met at the Ladies WHO Lunch events! Thank you Maria!!

    Maneli Nourbakhsh

    “I had a lovely time as always Maria Kritikos! Ladies WHO Lunch is such a wonderful organization, and I am overjoyed to be one of your founding members as this heart-based community expands!”

    Callie Kares

    Ladies WHO Lunch has been a great networking vehicle, not to mention a wonderful resource. I’ve reached out to members on numerous occasions for my work in public relations. Whether they’re helping to spread the word, volunteering for a non-profit initiative or making an introduction, it’s been so valuable to have a pool of like-minded professional women to call on, a group that is willing to help and support one another.”

    Kristina Matisic, Founder of Kristina Matisic Creative

    Ladies WHO Lunch® Network is a global premier business & social networking group for women entrepreneurs with a dream that want to make a difference in the world. It is a forum where like-minded women gather to empower one another, raise social awareness & gather inspiration to conquer the world fearlessly.

    “I love all my on-line communities and the amazing people I have gotten to connect with via the web but I have to say that nothing beats real people, in real time with real conversation and connection. Getting to shake hands, hug, and give and receive smiles is so important to ignite our souls and remind us we are part of a bigger collective. Over coming my gremlins of judgement and just allowing myself to show up, be seen and meet other people has been huge for me over the past few years. It feels good to be able to extend a hand and a hello to someone else who is feeling nervous while I continue to nurture my own courage. A great afternoon out with the Ladies WHO Lunch community in fancy hats and high heels. I get to be ALL of it, business woman, mom and just ME.”

    Lisa Carpenter

    “I just wanted to drop a couple lines to say thank you so much for having us at the Ladies WHO Lunch Summer Patio Party. Congratulations on such a successful turn out!

    I speak for both myself and Yana when I say that not only did we make many meaningful connections, we had lots of fun doing so, and were very inspired to hear about everyone’s personal journey.

    Liana Mascagni

    The Host

    Maria Kritikos is a life-long entrepreneur with a strong penchant for educating, connecting and empowering women.

    An inspiring educator, & savvy businesswoman Maria is the creator of the online course Idea To Reality, The She’s in Biz Blueprint & creator of the LWL Academy a personal development platform for those seeking to become the best version of themselves. She is also author of Girl With A Plan.

    All of her initiatives are designed to inspire women to be fearless and fabulous by helping them realize and live out their dreams.

    Maria began her career as a high school teacher and went on to start her own international school at the age of 28. She later launched a Teacher Training Centre and became a successful real estate agent on Vancouver’s highly competitive West Side. Life then threw her a curveball. After struggling to overcome a difficult personal setback – and with a young son in tow – Maria came to realize that her true calling lies in connecting and inspiring women to realize that anything is possible for themselves. She believes that surrounding yourself with like-minded and inspirational individuals is the most successful formula for creating and manifesting your dreams.

    Maria currently works as the CEO & Founder of Kritikos Real Estate Group in Vancouver BC.

    We're excited to see you there!

  • 10 Attributes Of A High Value Woman

    Happy International Women's Day!

    Today I'm sharing 10 attributes of a high value woman.

    1. She has the confidence & power to let go of situations/people/things that do not serve her highest good!

    2. She is not perfect but actively works on making herself a better person & when she is wrong promptly admits it & takes necessary steps to correct her behaviour.

    3. She is consciously aware of her choices, actions, & decisions & takes 100% responsibility for her life.

    4. She is not afraid to stand alone if & when her values are compromised.

    5. She believes in herself.

    6. She is tenacious in the face of adversity & gets right back up after falling.

    7. She doesn’t believe in mistakes. Only lessons.

    8. She chooses love over fear & when she doesn’t she always makes the correction.

    9. She comes from a mindset of abundance & therefore competes with no one.

    10. She lives her life with intent & purpose.

  • Fall Down 7, Get Up 8!

    My mantra & a chapter from my book:

    In life we will encounter many setbacks & challenges. Some of us more than others. The difference is what we do after a setback, how we react. What we learn from it, & what we can takeaway from the whole experience.

     

     
     

     

     

    Brian Tracy says setbacks & challenges are not there to obstruct but rather to instruct! The key is to keep moving forward after the setback.

    Growth doesn't come from standing still. It comes from falling flat on your face, time & time again. I believe those who fail are the most successful people out there.

    Why? Because each time they are knocked down, they don't stay down for very long, they learn the lesson, dust off & get right back up again. This builds resilience, perseverance, strength & determination. All characteristics for success.

    "I may pause but I will never stop"

  • 4 Daily Habits of Successful People

    Aristotle said that 95% of everything you do is the result of habit! So the rule is form good habits and make them your masters rather than allowing bad habits to form.

    01. Daily Goal Setting

    I always like to say “Don’t let the day run you – you run the day!” So many people wake up and the first thing they do is get on the computer to check emails and Facebook and before you know it, two hours have gone by!

    Set times to check emails at specific times (9am, 2pm, 12nn, 5pm, etc.) and no more than 3 times a day. I make a list every morning of the things that have to get done. Think about your goals consistently – talk to people about them. You do achieve what you think about most of the time so all successful people and all wealthy people think about their goals most of the time

    02. Be results-oriented.

    Successful people make a list of what needs to get done for the day to move them forward and then they prioritize. What is the most important thing I need to do today to move my business forward?

    Here is a great way to become results-oriented – ask yourself this: If i was going to be called out of town for the month and I could only do ONE thing on this list what would it be? What one activity would I be sure that I need to get completed? Pick your most important task and start on it immediately and discipline yourself to stay with it until its complete

    03. Be people-oriented.

    Realize that everything you achieve in life is going to be with the support/influence/cooperation of other people. In business, always be thinking about what your customers want, need how you can help them. How can your provide more value to them?

    04. Self-discipline

    This is the most important habit. Self-discipline is defined as “the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” You see anyone can do it if they feel like it – that’s easy, right? It’s when you don’t feel like doing it and you do it anyone that you eventually develop the self discipline that makes everything else possible

  • Idea to Reality

    Create a life that makes you wanna jump out of bed every morning!

    Focus on the why.

    Many people give up before they strike gold. My advice would be to keep going despite the dips but to re-adjust or alter the course slightly – as long as you keep the end goal in mind. Always remember WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, you will have the strength to go on. It’s when your WHY is not strong that you will give up.

    You have to choose something that doesn’t feel like work to you. Something that you could do for hours on end and forget the time of day or forget to eat. That’s what you should follow and the success will come. Never start with working the numbers on something. First see if it brings you JOY, then potentially, you can monetize anything.

    Don’t worry about the how.

    When I first came to Iman, I remember standing on the street after class and when he asked me, “Maria what do you want to do?” and I said “inspire” – but I didn’t know how! Don’t worry about the how — put your intention into the universe and people and situations will appear before you and you’ll be like what they heck!

    How do you get to the top of the staircase? One step at a time. When you are on a foggy highway and all you can see is five feet in front of you, just keep going and eventually, you’ll get to the end!

    Align yourself with like-minded people.

    …and people who have achieved the success that you are working towards. Think about life as a game of tennis, you will never improve playing with someone at the same level as you — play with someone with a little more skill and it will elevate your game.

    Surround yourself with the doers, the believers the action takers. The people who see the greatness in you even when you don’t see it in yourself

    Stay true to yourself.

    Don’t worry about what other people think… listen to your inner voice /intuition, it won’t steer you wrong. Your desire for success has to be so great that it overrides everything else because if not, you won’t stick with it. That’s why it’s important to really do what truly speaks to your heart.

    Watch your words.

    Your words form your thoughts and actions which always will give you the results. You are whatever you believe yourself to be.

    Done is better than perfect.

    Everyone is always waiting for the perfect moment to launch something but that moment will never come. Consistent action is the key — that’s how we learn and grow in action, NOT in thought.

  • 8 Steps To Build A Business That You Love!

    Build a good foundation for your business and build a business that you truly love by following these 8 simple steps.

    Step #1: Identify what it is you really want and be clear about it.

    So many people walk around with these wishes and these vague intentions. Vague intentions will give you vague result. So for example, if you want to make more money, clearly state HOW much?

    People say I want to be rich, and have more money and I’ll give them a dollar more and say “there you go you’re rich now!” And they’ll laugh and say, “well no, I want more.” Well, how much more? Be specific.

    Step #2: Build a business around your passion.

    We’ve all heard that you will never be successful doing what you don’t love and there’s a good reason for that. Your passion for what you do will continue to fuel your desire and energy to keep going so make sure you stay authentic to your passion.

    If you find something that doesn’t feel like work and you could spend all day doing it, go with that! Essentially anything can be monetized. Why waste your time doing stuff that makes you unhappy?

    Step #3: It’s in the doing, not the knowing. Knowledge is useless without action.

    Done is better than perfect. You won’t know until you try. In marketing, we call it launch and optimize. You can’t make something better if you don’t test it out.

    It’s like an athlete, how can she improve her game if she just sits up in the stands and watches instead of actually being in the field playing? Not possible, right?

    Step #4: Start! And start before you’re ready. The distance between your dreams and reality is action.

    And you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect, and you won’t have all the answers but clarity will reveal itself in your ACTIONS. Do what you can with what you have where you are right now. There’s an expression: you don’t have to be great to start, but you DO have to start!

    I see it often where people wait whole lifetimes for everything to line up, before they begin anything. Well let me tell you that is never going to happen.

    The more you think about something, the more doubtful you become. Simply take that first step because that’s all you need to see. Once you do that, the next one will be revealed to you, but you’ll never get anywhere by standing still.

    Step #5: Surround yourself with like-minded people.

    You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So take a moment to take inventory of your life and who you allow into it.

    Are these people you admire? Do you learn from them? Have they accomplished what it is you want to accomplish? Are they positive and supportive? There’s an expression: if you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.

    You cannot get to where you want to go by doing the same things and hanging out with the same people. There is no growth there. Get an accountability partner — this has been one of the biggest secrets to my success.


    Step #6: Go big or go home. don’t be afraid to aim high.

    There are no limits or ceilings to what you can accomplish and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. My favourite expression is “don’t let small minds convince you that your dream is too big.”

    Many people have limiting beliefs that constantly hold them back. Don’t subscribe to these beliefs, they will not serve you on your journey to success. Kick them to the curb. You can achieve anything you set your mind to. ANYTHING.

    Step #7: Focus. Stop chasing the next shiny object.

    Get a coach, enrolled in a program, (learn more about the She’s in Biz Blueprint here) prioritize, do one thing and do it well.

    Hard work, determination & relentlessness are ultimately the driving forces behind success. There’s no magic pill, but I promise you the results of your efforts are better than anything you could have ever imagined, so keep going. Don’t give up.

    Step #8: Persist until you are successful.

    So many dreams dies because people give up, they expect to see results sooner than they thought and when they don’t they stop.

    Make a promise to yourself that you will resolve to persist no matter what! And that all the roadblocks & fears that you will encounter on the path to your dream are meant to be there, and it’s your job to move past them. Everyone wants to know how you become unstoppable, but actually it’s really quite simple…you move past the places you would normally stop.