Tuesday, November 08, 2016, was the first time I ever cast a ballot with more female candidates on it than male…

And, sweet gods and goddesses, it felt good! I had no idea how much it actually meant to me to see women running our country until I saw the graphic of the glass ceiling shattering when Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic nomination. Since then I’d become obsessed with women truly breaking through. I cast my ballot and left my polling place downright giddy and hopeful.

And then I wasn’t.

My dreams weren’t completely dashed. Some of the very qualified women that I had hoped to see in office will soon be there, but too many will not. I woke up the next morning sad, angry, frustrated, outraged, hurt, scared and one million other things all at the same time because it didn’t feel like much of anything had changed at all.

My modus operandi in situations like this is to immediately channel hurt and anger — and all those other very “unladylike” emotions — into action. To start fixing. The day after the 2016 election I chose differently. I decided that I was going to grieve and I also decided that my grief looked very much like me throwing both middle fingers up in the air and scowling.

This article originally appeared in Corp! magazine

Ursula Adams and Andrea Clegg Corp like to tell the story of how they met and started their new business, SheHive, as something of a comic scene. “Two blondes walk into a coffee shop…”

When they met, they realized just how much they had in common in terms of wanting to motivate people, specifically female entrepreneurs, do-ers and dreamers. That is why the opening of SheHive in Ferndale is something they are celebrating and sharing with the larger world.

Adams and Corp describe SheHive as equal parts best girlfriend’s living room, mom’s kitchen table, girls’ night out and favorite classroom. It is a place for members to connect with and learn from women who are committed to helping each other discover the best parts of themselves.

Programming is co-created by the SheHive for the SheHive and includes workshops, seminars, coaching and special events focused on all facets of members’ well-being.

Founded in 2016 by Detroiter Adams and Royal Oak resident Corp, The SheHive includes members who are teachers, storytellers, CEOs, scholars, yogis, artists, mothers, daughters, sisters, goddesses and friends with the goal of building a hive full of brave women seeking intentional growth, community and life.

“In a day and age where technology enables women to be more connected than ever, we’ve actually become more disconnected from people,” Adams said. “We know there are a ton of women out there in the same boat and that many of them are rowing that boat all alone.

“They’re tired, overwhelmed, scared and just about ‘this close’ to being so burnt out that something — the job, the business, the marriage, the house, their health — is about to go down in a giant ball of flames,” Adams added.

Corp said, “Emotional, spiritual and physical health is — and will always be — a cornerstone of the success of the SheHive. Our organization, like us — the women who founded it—and every woman who walks through its doors, is a work in progress. We want to help however we can.”

Before founding the SheHive, Adams contributed 16 years of her life to strengthening regional philanthropy in Detroit, pioneering the uses of digital media, integrated marketing, strengths-based organizational development and employee engagement at United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Corp is a certified Women’s Circle facilitator, Warrior Goddess facilitator, Co-founder of The SheHive and owner of Leap and Twirl LLC, providing soul-centered coaching and workshops for women.

SheHive workshops will be priced about $20 – $25 per session. Signature series classes — the Lady Boss Leadership Network and Warrior Goddess Wisdom — include one-on-one coaching in addition to class time and are priced accordingly.

Karen Dybis is an editor and writer for Corp! Magazine. She graduated from the University of Michigan and has worked at The Mackinac Island Town Crier, The Kalamazoo Gazette, The (Adrian) Daily Telegram and The Oakland Press. Karen spent five years at The Detroit News as a business writer with stints in retail, workplace issues and personal finance. Dybis also was a blogger on Time magazine's "Assignment: Detroit" project.

This article originally appeared in Oakland County One-Fifteen News

SheHive in Ferndale Offers Women-Centered Events and Classes

(SheHive, Nov. 15, 2016) 

Ferndale, MI– The SheHive, an intentional community where women who want to live to the fullest expression of their authentic selves gather to connect and grow, announced its first office is officially open and hosting events. The SheHive is located at 1840 Hilton Rd., Ste. 101 in Ferndale.

Founded in 2016 by Detroiter Ursula Adams and Royal Oak resident Andrea Clegg Corp, The SheHive is equal parts best girlfriend’s living room, mom’s kitchen table, girls’ night out and favorite classroom. It is a place for members to connect with and learn from women who are fiercely committed to helping each other discover the best parts of themselves. Programming is co-created by the SheHive for the SheHive and includes workshops, seminars, coaching and special events focused on all facets of members’ well-being.

“In a day and age where technology enables women to be more connected than ever, we’ve actually become more disconnected from people,” Adams said. “We know there are a ton of women out there in the same boat and that many of them are rowing that boat all alone. They’re tired, overwhelmed, scared and just about “this close” to being so burnt out that something—the job, the business, the marriage, the house, their health—is about to go down in a giant ball of flames.”

Corp said, “Emotional, spiritual and physical health is—and will always be—a cornerstone of the success of the SheHive. Our organization, like us—the women who founded it—and every woman who walks through its doors, is a work in progress. We want to help however we can.”

Members are teachers, storytellers, CEOs, scholars, yogis, artists, mothers, daughters, sisters, goddesses and friends with the goal of building a hive full of brave women seeking intentional growth, community and life.
SheHive workshops will be priced about $20 – $25 per session. Signature series classes—the Lady Boss Leadership Network and Warrior Goddess Wisdom—include one-on-one coaching in addition to class time and are priced accordingly.

Upcoming classes and gatherings include:

The Weekly Waggle
Hosted every Wednesday from 7 – 9 p.m., the Weekly Waggle is a lively, guided conversation on topics chosen by the Hive. No topic is off limits.  From politics to sex to religion and family, members will explore it all. This event is offered for a donation only. Funds collected benefit The SheHive scholarship fund, providing assistance for women working on their Ultimate Life Lists (Bucket Lists) at the SheHive.

Bad Ass Ladies Supper Club
Join the SheHive for its first-ever Bad Ass Ladies Supper Club. Together, members will work on Life Lists (Bucket Lists) and support each other in living out-loud. Members will meet once a month for a year. Each meeting will include dinner and an adventure selected from collective lists. Cost: $25.

Toast2U 
Toast2U is a monthly encouragement and accountability party for women of all ages. Each month Hive members gather to practice intentional celebration in a fun, supportive and safe environment. This event supports members as they learn to celebrate personal victories and set new intentions for the coming month. Cost: $20.

Lady Boss Network: Survival Skills for the Small Business Owner
As awesome as being the boss can be, it can also be scary, lonely and downright taxing. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 15, this two-month course provides female entrepreneurs a support network where, together, they learn how to incorporate practices into daily life that provide the resilience and energy needed to make themselves, and their businesses, thrive.

The course offers five in-person meetings with the cohort, as well as two one-on-one coaching sessions with SheHive founder, Ursula Adams, MSPOD – a certified leadership coach and small business owner. The series will run through Jan. 24, 2017. This pilot of the Lady Boss Leadership Program is being offered at a one-time discounted rate in Winter 2016 and is limited to ten participants. Cost: $250 (a $600 value).

A complete calendar of upcoming events can be found by visiting http://www.theshehive.com/class-schedule.html. Light refreshments are generally provided with each session, but participants are welcomed to bring their own goodies on which to nosh.


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How are you even more beautiful than before?

Originally published in Qween Magazine - Fall/Winter 2016

By Ursula Adams, MSPOD, SheHive Founder

​I’ve long had a gift of saying stuff out loud that other people are afraid to say. I don’t do it to offend or to intimidate or to even draw attention to myself. I do it because I want everyone around me - women, in particular - to know that they’re not alone in their thoughts, desires and fears.

You feel like no one is ever going to love you unless you pretend to be someone you’re not? Been there.

You’re afraid you’re stuck in a dead in job and don’t know if you’ll ever find your purpose? Done that.

You have a secret desire or passion but are afraid to follow it because you’re afraid you might fail. Been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt too.

Funny thing about our secret fears and desires - they are far less scary once we speak them out loud. Most often, because, someone who hears you is going to turn to you and say, “Me too!”

Never was this more true for me than when I started graduate school a few years ago. Prior to our first class, the program director sent out a student listing. One by one I looked up each of my new classmates online. There were U.N. Peacekeepers and CEOs and Executive Directors - each person more impressive than the last. In fact, there were people in my cohort that had job titles that were so damn fancy that I didn’t even know what it was they actually did!

To say I was intimidated was an understatement. The fact that I showed up for class on the first day with my pants on inside out did nothing to quell my fears. (#TrueStory)

A few hours, and a few glasses of wine, into our welcome reception (after I had put my pants back on correctly), I decided to ‘fess up to my a few of my new classmates, a group of eight women.

“I looked each of you up online before I got here,” I told them. “Y’all are an intimidating bunch of women!”

“Oh my god, me too!” they exclaimed one after another. “Your LinkedIn profile is so impressive!” or “You’ve done so much!” or “You’re so put together!”

“So ‘put together’?” I laughed. “My pants were on inside out just a few hours ago!”

We laughed at how each of us had convinced ourselves that we were the weak spot in the cohort - the fluke - the one person that was going to stick out like a sore thumb among this group of powerful, smart, dynamic women. We promised each other that night that we would always remind each other that we all belonged, that we all had worth and that we were all rock stars in our own right. We developed a “secret” greeting that night to remind each other of this important decision...

“How are you even more beautiful than before?” We said it to each other every time we saw each other after that day - a reminder of that special moment where we all discovered that we share fears and desires.

Throughout the next two years, this group of women became my people - my tribe - my ride or dies. As grad school was wrapping up, I started to mourn the future loss of their company. Sure, we’d still always be connected, but we would never again have the opportunity to be together in one space for any length of time and learn from each other, nurture each other and cheer each other on like we did while we were still in school. I had finally discovered the value of having a sisterhood and I so didn’t want to lose it.

So I decided to recreate it at home in Detroit. Or, rather, I decided to start thinking about recreating it back here at home. Thing is, once the idea took root I couldn’t stop it. Passion and purpose have a way of doing that to you.

Which is why, on June 13, 2016, I quit my job of sixteen years in nonprofit administration, cashed in my retirement and set out to create a community where smart, brave, badass women can connect with and learn from each other. I started talking about my passion project, nicknamed the “SheHive” by a friend’s husband, with anyone who would listen.

Apparently I wasn’t the only woman that was craving connection with other women because the more I talked about the SheHive, the more women stepped up to offer support. They gave their time, talent and resources - even a free space to test out the concept. Within two months, I had a business plan, an awesome partner, Andrea Clegg Corp, an advisory board, a lease on an office space, a logo design contest under way and a legal entity called SheHive.

Equal parts your best girlfriend’s living room, mom’s kitchen table, a girls' night out and your favorite classroom ever, the SheHive is a place for you to connect with and learn from women fiercely committed to loving you, lifting you up and helping you discover those best parts of yourself that only other women can. Programming is co-created by the Hive for the Hive and includes workshops, seminars, coaching and special events focused on all facets of your well-being.

We officially opened our doors to the public last week. Over three hours, on an unseasonably cold and rainy night, nearly 150 women - young, old, black, white, introvert, extrovert, seasoned professional, student - packed our 600 square foot space to learn about this new community created just for them and connect with other women looking for the same. We started our workshops the very next day.

We have an initial 100 days of programming built out for now covering the many facets of women’s wellness - spiritual, emotional, physical, occupational and social. In addition to weekly workshops taught by volunteers, our signature programs are: the Bad Ass Ladies Supper Club - a monthly meeting to share Life Lists and work on them together; the Lady Boss Network - a support group to help female leaders navigate the emotional side of being in charge; Warrior Goddess Wisdom - a multi-part series designed to help you rediscover both the warrior and goddess within; and the Weekly Waggle, a free cup of coffee and conversation every Wednesday night at 7 pm to connect us to each other.

I invite you to come check out the SheHive, either in person and/or online at www.theSheHive.com. I swear to you, if you are looking for connection with other women and self-empowerment, there is magic within to be discovered.
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How are you even more beautiful than before? Come find out at the SheHive!