We Made Room: Inside by.NETWORK’s March Series
- Smoove The Source.
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
March feels a little blurry, if I’m being honest.
Not in a rushed way. More like the kind of blur that comes from being fully in something while it’s happening. I didn’t really have time to step outside of it and look at it as it was unfolding. I was just… in it.
Building, adjusting, holding space, making sure everything felt right.
Maybe that’s also what made doing all of this during Women’s Month feel so significant. There was something deeper about the timing. It's creating spaces for women, intentionally.
Now that it’s over, I’m sitting with it a little more. And I keep coming back to the same thought:
Damn. I really did that.
Four events. Four completely different rooms. Four different energies. But all of them felt like they belonged to each other.
I started the month with Making Room, and I think that set the tone for everything that followed. It was soft. Intentional. Slower than what people expect from events. We partnered with Berriez a plus size vintage shoppe in Brookyln, and the space just naturally held that confidence. It didn’t need to be forced. People came in and eased into it. Conversations weren’t rushed. Nothing felt performative.
We had support from Wynk, and I loved seeing everyone sipping throughout the experience in glassware from Painted Black Studios. That detail meant more to me than I expected. Same with the cookies from Eat Good NYC, each one had a body-positive message, and the ladies actually stopped to read them. It wasn’t just something cute on the side. It meant something to the ladies.
That day felt like a deep breath. A refresher that set the tone for the rest of the month.
A few days later, we stepped into Current Flow, and everything shifted. This one mattered to me in a different way. We partnered with Audiomack and brought together five women artists from across the city. HEESU, Nadine El Roubi, Amber Lee, Jordan Ariel, and Rae Stizz. Each of them shared not just their sound, but pieces of what they’re working on in real time, including unreleased music that the room got to experience first.
What I cared about most wasn’t just the performances, it was who was in the room. We were intentional about sourcing both the artists and the audience. And you could feel that. People were listening, like reallllllllllllllllly listening.
There was a strong press presence that night, with outlets like Stellar Reports, Bebe Flight, and Tune with UNDRGRND PAPARAZZI fully tapped in. And I didn’t know what would come from that in the moment. But after? I started seeing it. Articles. Coverage. People pulling up to the artists’ next shows. Real support. Not just “that was cute,” but actual follow through.
That’s the kind of impact I’m always hoping for. Something that keeps moving after the night ends.
Then we had Singing Off-Key, which honestly felt like a release. No structure, no pressure, no expectations. Just joy. We partnered with Fly Moms Club and All By Us Events, and the night became exactly what it needed to be. People laughing, singing loudly, not caring if they sounded good. The photobooth added another layer to it. Little moments frozen in time that people will probably look back on and smile at.
✨ It reminded me that creating space for women doesn’t always have to be heavy to be meaningful. Sometimes it looks like joy. Sometimes it looks like letting go ✨
We closed everything out with She Got Sole, and that one felt personal.
Sneaker culture has always been something I’ve been connected to, so bringing women into that conversation in a the smoovest way, during a month that’s meant to honor us, felt full circle. We partnered with Saint James Libations, and the wine set the tone for the night. Relaxed, intimate, conversational. Nothing forced.
During the planning process for She Got Sole, I knew I wanted to work with someone who has been put their 10,000 hours into the community. Reaching out to Rhee was a no brainer. For She Got Sole we worked with Communal Sole Club to host a sneaker and sock donation drive for a family shelter in Brooklyn. That part grounded the entire experience. It made everything feel bigger than just the room we were in.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about sneakers. It’s about community. It’s about showing up for each other in real ways.
When I look back at the month as a whole, I don’t think about numbers first. I think about how each room felt.
I think about the conversations that lingered. The people who didn’t want to leave. The moments that weren’t planned but still happened exactly how they needed to. That’s what matters to me.
This month reminded me that I’m building something real. Something that doesn’t need to be loud to be impactful. Something that can move at its own pace and still reach the people it’s meant to reach.
March, Women’s Month, was just the beginning.
Next stop: June, July, and then Detroit.
And I’m carrying all of this with me.
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