The Power Lunch Club: Community, Confidence and Connection
To mark International Women’s Day and this year’s theme, Give to Gain, The LPF is spotlighting women across our membership who are not only leading within their own disciplines, but are also building communities that actively support and champion other women in the industry.
LPF Founder Priya Rawal sat down with Caroline Donaghue founder of The Chelsea Embodiment Coach, and Beatrice Ronchetti, Founder of a personal branding agency focused on the built environment. Between them they have cofounded The Power Lunch Club bringing together deep experience across branding, marketing, personal visibility, leadership and female-focused community building.
Hi Caroline and Beatrice, please introduce yourselves, your business roles and the work you each do.
Caroline:
I’ve spent over two decades working in branding and marketing within the international property sector, primarily in luxury real estate marketing and business growth, advising developers, brands and consultancies on global projects.
After years of training and studying in the background, my career has now evolved into embodiment coaching, where I work with high-achieving women. Having spent much of my career in high-pressure environments, I became fascinated by what truly allows women to succeed and sustain success over time. What I’ve seen repeatedly is that the traditional rules of success don’t always work for women in the way we’ve been told they should. Much of my work now focuses on helping ambitious women step into the next level of their leadership and lives through greater self-trust and a deeper connection to themselves.
Beatrice:
I’m Beatrice Ronchetti, founder of a personal branding agency focused on the built environment. We work with senior leaders across real estate, construction and design to help them build credible, visible personal brands that strengthen their reputation and open up commercial opportunities.
Over the last 15 years I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the leading businesses in this space, while also supporting individuals building businesses of their own. Some clients work with me through coaching and strategic advisory, while others work with my team to manage their personal brand end-to-end - from positioning and messaging to their presence on platforms like LinkedIn and other industry channels.
Alongside this, I regularly run training workshops for companies and speak at industry conferences and events across Europe and UAE.
How have your own careers shaped your understanding of what women need in order to thrive?
Caroline:
I was fortunate to have an incredibly successful career in the property sector, but the reality is that many women are operating in survival mode much of the time. I know I was for the first 16 years of my career.
At senior levels the industry remains largely male-dominated, and many women find themselves working extremely hard yet still struggling and just surviving.
Working with coaching clients now, I still see many situations where women feel pressure to over-deliver, work harder, take on more and simply push through. And this mentality simply doesn’t work for women and doesn’t create an environment that enables success or thriving.
My belief is that for women to truly succeed and thrive, they need to start defining success on their own terms rather than simply conforming to traditional expectations.
I began implementing feminine energetics and embodiment work into my own life and career several years ago and the impact was profound. It felt like I had stopped swimming against the tide and suddenly found myself on a jet stream. When women understand their own rhythms, voice and power, success becomes far more aligned and thriving is inevitable.
Beatrice:
Working across the built environment has shown me how important visibility, confidence and strong networks are - particularly in industries where leadership roles have historically been male-dominated.
Many talented women are doing exceptional work, but they are often less comfortable promoting themselves or putting their voice forward. What I’ve learned through my work is that having the right support network and being surrounded by people who encourage you to step forward and ‘go for it’ can make an enormous difference.
We are capable of so much more than we think – and very often thriving is not about your skillset; it’s also about having the confidence, opportunities and community that help you realise what you’re capable of before you do.
What sparked the idea for The Power Lunch Club?
Caroline:
The idea for The Power Lunch Club came from my experience of attending personal development and leadership events outside of work, where I felt completely lit up - inspired, motivated and excited about the future.
But when I stepped back into property industry events, the atmosphere often felt very different. Many were transactional, uninspiring and dull. I became inspired to bring the same feeling I was experiencing outside of work - inspiration, ambition and forward thinking into the professional world.
That was really the spark behind The Power Lunch Club: to create an environment where successful, ambitious women could come together to develop, connect and elevate their lives.
It’s about women first - their ambitions, their careers and the lives they are building. When you bring a room full of high-achieving women together in the right environment, something powerful happens. They support each other, champion each other’s ambitions and often form friendships that last well beyond the room.
Beatrice:
The initial idea actually came from Caroline! She messaged me saying she had been thinking about creating something for female professionals and asked if I’d be up for exploring it together.
As we started talking it through, it quickly evolved into what is now The Power Lunch Club. We realised that many industry events can feel quite transactional – they are large, busy and difficult to navigate if you don’t already know people.
We wanted to create something different. A space where women from different industries could come together more genuinely, where conversations go beyond quick introductions and people feel comfortable sharing ideas, challenges and experiences.
Despite the name, it’s actually a full-day gathering. The lunch simply sits at the heart of it. The idea was to create enough space and time for real conversations to unfold - somewhere women can step back, reset and refocus.
What kind of atmosphere or experience were you hoping to create through it?
Caroline:
We wanted to create something that felt inspiring, energising and genuinely enjoyable to be part of. A beautiful setting, great conversation and a room full of ambitious women who are all building interesting careers and lives.
The intention is that women leave feeling expanded having had meaningful conversations, made new connections and perhaps even met people who will become long-term friends. It’s about finding your tribe!
When the environment is right, women open up in a different way. The conversations become deeper, the connections become stronger and the entire experience feels far more powerful than a typical networking event
Beatrice:
Warm, open and genuinely supportive!
The goal was to create an environment where women feel comfortable contributing to the conversation, rather than feeling like they need to perform or compete. We wanted it to feel collaborative rather than transactional.
There is something powerful about putting a group of thoughtful, ambitious women in a room and simply creating the space for meaningful dialogue. We feel most events in our space lack this.
What improvements need to be made in the industry for women to feel supported and given the space to thrive?
Caroline:
Women shouldn’t be “given space” or “supported” we should be fully integrated and shaping the industry. The fact that we are even “asking” and waiting for support is feeding the problem. There are extraordinary women across the property sector already doing brilliant work but they are not always valued at decision-making level. At the same time, I believe women are beginning to realise that we don’t have to mould ourselves to existing models of leadership in order to succeed.
We can lead in ways that are authentic to us, bring different perspectives and still build incredibly successful careers.
Beatrice:
I think the industry has made progress, but there is still work to do in terms of representation and confidence.
One area that stands out to me is encouraging women to take up space and share their perspectives publicly - whether that’s through speaking, writing, leadership roles or simply being more visible in industry conversations.
Through my work I see this difference quite clearly. Studies consistently show that women are less likely to put themselves forward for opportunities unless they feel fully qualified, whereas men tend to step in earlier. Although I work with both men and women, supporting more women to step into the spotlight and share their expertise is something I care deeply about.
When women see other women stepping forward, it creates a ripple effect. Representation doesn’t just matter at the top of organisations; it matters across panels, publications, events and industry platforms.
Have there been any standout moments that reminded you why this initiative is resonating?
Caroline:
One of the most powerful moments is simply watching what happens in the room once the conversation begins.
You can feel the energy shift very quickly. Women arrive curious and open, and within a short space of time the room becomes incredibly alive - ideas are being shared, experiences exchanged and women are championing each other’s ambitions.
What stands out most is how quickly genuine connection happens. When ambitious women are placed in the right environment, they naturally support, encourage and elevate one another.
Those moments are a reminder of why The Power Lunch Club resonates. When you bring the right women together in one room, something powerful begins to happen.
Beatrice:
What has been most rewarding is seeing how quickly conversations deepen when the right environment is created.
At the first lunch, there was a real openness in the room. People were willing to share honestly about challenges, ambitions and the questions they were navigating in their careers. That level of candour isn’t something you often see in typical networking settings.
Several attendees told us afterwards that the conversations had given them new perspective, and in some cases real breakthroughs in how they were thinking about their next steps. Others said they had formed connections they simply wouldn’t have made in a traditional event - which was exactly the intention.
This year's IWD theme is Give To Gain. How do you see that reflected in the way women show up for one another?
Caroline:
It’s an interesting theme, because in my experience women are already very good at giving - sometime giving too much!
Many women spend much of their lives supporting others - their teams, their families, their partners and their colleagues. What I often see, particularly with high-achieving women, is that they give a huge amount but rarely prioritise their own needs.
So for me, “Give To Gain” is also about women learning to give back to themselves. To invest in their own growth, their ambitions and the lives they want to create.
When women start doing that and step fully into their own power - the impact is extraordinary, not just for them but for everyone around them.
Beatrice:
One of the most powerful things I’ve seen in professional communities is how generosity tends to multiply.
When someone shares an introduction, advice or encouragement, it creates momentum. It gives someone else confidence to do the same for another person.
The “give to gain” idea reflects the reality that strong networks are built through contribution. The more people invest in supporting each other, the stronger the entire community becomes.
What have you learnt most from each other?
Caroline:
Beatrice brings a huge amount of knowledge from the world of personal branding, particularly around visibility, commercial thinking and understanding return on investment that your brand brings. Her personal knowledge and flair of marketing is also incredible.
We spark ideas off each other constantly. It’s a very creative partnership where we genuinely ask ourselves what would most help women right now - and then design and create experiences that reflect that.
That combination of different perspectives is what makes the collaboration work so well.
Beatrice:
Caroline has a lot of experience in the space of feminine embodiment, and she was one of the first people who really helped me see how differently women can experience business and leadership environments. That understanding - that we don’t always thrive under the same expectations or pressures - has been really eye-opening, and it’s something that has influenced how we think about creating spaces that genuinely support women.
She’s also incredibly good at building community and making people feel welcome and comfortable very quickly, which has played a big part in shaping the tone of The Power Lunch Club.
What do you hope this community continues to open up for women across the industry?
Caroline:
I’d love to see more women consider the trajectory of their lives - to feel empowered, confident and excited about what is possible for them.
So many women follow paths that they feel they’re supposed to follow, particularly in demanding industries. What I hope this community opens up is the realisation that there are many different ways to build a successful career and life.
When women begin to see new possibilities, connect with others who are thinking differently and start backing themselves more fully, it can change everything.
Beatrice:
I hope it becomes a place where meaningful relationships are formed – not just the kind that lead to opportunities but true long-term support.
More than anything, I hope it gives women a sense that they are not navigating their careers alone. Having a strong community around you can make a huge difference to the decisions you make and the confidence you bring to your work..
What is the best advice you been given?
Caroline:
You are the only person who knows what’s right for you. Never take advice or listen to criticism from someone whose life you wouldn’t want.
Beatrice:
One piece of advice that has always stayed with me is: don’t wait until you feel completely ready. We never feel fully ready, fully prepared. And many opportunities appear before we feel ready to go, but growth tends to happen when we step forward anyway. Saying yes to opportunities, even when they feel slightly uncomfortable, often leads to the biggest breakthroughs.
get in touch
Caroline Donaghue
Website - www.thechelseaembodimentcoach.com
Beatrice Ronchetti
Website: www.beatriceronchetti.co.uk