Completion As An Access To Rise
December asked us to slow down, reflect, and complete, not rush forward. And what I witnessed in our community this month was powerful: alignment through honesty, embodiment through values and boundaries, and growth through courageous conversations.
This season reminded us that empowerment isn’t created by doing more or becoming someone new. It’s created when we take the time to integrate, to tell the truth, and to let what no longer serves us fall away. Completion is not an ending; it’s an act of clarity.
As we step into January, we do so more grounded, more honest, and more aligned with who we are becoming. We carry forward what matters, and we leave behind what doesn’t. This is how we rise: with intention, integrity, and each other.
With clarity and gratitude,
Crystal Walent
🌟 Member Spotlight
Celebrating the women in our community who are rising, creating, and leading with purpose
🌟 Kendall Splawn– Licensed Realtor in DC and VA at Compass
We’re proud to spotlight Kendall, who was recently featured in Haven Lifestyles, a luxury publication highlighting standout leaders and tastemakers across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.
Kendall’s feature reflects her refined approach to real estate, rooted in deep market knowledge, trusted relationships, and a commitment to personalized service. With over two decades of combined experience alongside her partner, Kendall brings both expertise and care to every transaction, serving first-time buyers, seasoned investors, and luxury clients with equal intention. Her work is grounded in understanding not just properties, but people, helping clients find a place that truly feels like home. Being recognized in a publication like Haven Lifestyles is a testament to the integrity, professionalism, and elevated standard she brings to her work.
We love celebrating our members as they step into greater visibility and recognition, and we’re cheering Kendall on as she continues to make her mark.
👉 Follow her on Instagram: @KendallSplawn 👉 Read the Article: @HavenLifestyle
🌟 Wendy Castillo – Realtor with Realty of America & Yoga Instructor at CorePower
This month, we’re honored to spotlight Wendy Castillo for the way she has truly lived her word of the year: commitment. For Wendy, this year wasn’t about chasing approval or following expectations; it was about honoring a deep, long-standing pull toward what nourishes her soul and taking full ownership of her professional path. She committed to herself in a new way, stepping fully into a life that reflects her truth rather than external pressure.
That commitment led her to become a certified yoga instructor, facilitate sound bowl healing experiences, and consciously choose a path rooted in presence, healing, and authenticity. At the same time, Wendy also gave herself fully to building her real estate career with intention and focus. As part of The Washingtonian Group at Realty of America, she showed up with discipline, consistency, and a willingness to grow moving from exploration into true embodiment of her goals.
This year wasn’t without challenges. There were moments of uncertainty, setbacks, and times when staying the course required real courage. But Wendy stayed committed. When things didn’t work, she got back up. When progress felt slow, she kept going. Rather than retreating, she leaned in, choosing effort, growth, and self-trust.
Wendy’s journey is a powerful reminder that fulfillment doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from honoring what’s true and staying devoted to it. We celebrate Wendy for choosing herself, for building a life and career rooted in alignment, and for showing us what it looks like to create an authentic life through commitment, resilience, and heart.
👉 Follow her initiative on Instagram: @Wcastillo1122
👋 Welcome to our Newest WE Members
We’re excited to welcome Candiss Canady to the Women Empower community. Candiss is a Senior Client Relations Manager at Stillwater Human Capital, with a strong background in government contracting, recruiting, business development, and leadership. As she prepares to relocate back to the DC metro area, Candiss is intentionally rebuilding community and connection in a city that has shaped her professional journey.
Deeply values-driven, Candiss believes empowerment comes from shared support, having a space where women can openly share their goals, challenges, and hopes without judgment. She’s passionate about giving back, supporting small businesses, and contributing to initiatives that create meaningful impact, both professionally and personally.
An avid traveler, fitness enthusiast, and community-builder, Candiss brings curiosity, warmth, and a genuine desire to connect. We’re honored to have her join us as she steps into this next chapter and looks to grow alongside a circle of women committed to uplifting one another and creating lasting impact together.
👉 Connect with her on Instagram
We are delighted to welcome Roselyn Bawuah, a co-founder and creative force behind Pure Hair Garage and Pure Ivy Shop, a growing beauty-and-self-care brand where luxury meets intention. Roselyn handcrafts scented candles and beauty essentials designed to elevate mood, enhance natural glow, and bring a sense of calm, confidence, and everyday luxury into the lives of the women she serves.
As a devoted mother, business owner, and creator, Roselyn embodies authenticity in everything she does. Whether she’s pouring a candle or developing a new beauty product, she leads with heart, intention, and a genuine passion for helping others feel beautiful, relaxed, and seen. Roselyn joins our community with the desire to build new friendships and connect with like-minded women who believe in lifting one another higher. She values the support and sisterhood within WE and is excited to contribute by showing up fully and being present for the women around her. Outside of her business, Roselyn loves traveling, golfing, and trying new experiences while embracing life with curiosity and joy.
Please join us in welcoming Roselyn to Women Empower. We’re so excited to have her in this community and to support her as she continues to grow, create, and shine. ✨
👉 Connect with her on Instagram
WE Annual Event Recap: Hormonal Health for High-Achieving Women 🌟
On December 4th, Women Empower gathered at The Ritz-Carlton for a conversation that reframed everything we thought we knew about women’s health. This wasn’t just another wellness panel; it was a leadership imperative.
Here’s why this matters: 25% of women leave leadership roles at the height of their careers due to hormonal health challenges they don’t understand and weren’t prepared for. In a time when we need women rising into and sustaining leadership now more than ever, we cannot afford to lose a quarter of our most experienced leaders to a preventable crisis.
Crystal Walent moderated an exceptional panel featuring Karla Stewart (Co-Founder, Moody | Partner, Tangerine), Dr. Harpreet Gujral (DNP, FNP-BC, Integrative Health), Ashley Rushing (LPC, Founder & Clinical Director, Evolve BHC), Amparo Rosen (Founder & Owner, Ultra Body Sculpt), and Novia Maduro (Director in the Department of Homeland Security). What made the evening extraordinary wasn’t just the expertise on stage; it was the vulnerability. High-achieving women shared heartbreak, confusion, and breakthroughs, creating a space where attendees could finally see themselves reflected and know they weren’t alone.
The impact was immediate. One attendee shared, “I walked away with real solutions, not just information.” Another realized, “HRT is not my enemy,” another said, “my body isn’t failing me, it’s communicating.” Women left understanding that the exhaustion, brain fog, and emotional shifts they’d been pushing through weren’t personal failures but signals their bodies were sending. Multiple attendees described the room as “a warm hug,” a testament to the intentional culture of connection Women Empower creates.
This is why our work matters. When women are empowered and living fulfilled, homes are peaceful, businesses excel, and communities thrive. We’re not just supporting individual wellness, we’re sustaining the leadership our world desperately needs.
Based on overwhelming feedback, we’ll be continuing these critical conversations. Stay tuned for future events.
👉 Check out the Resource Page
👉 Follow @Womenempowerglobal on Instagram
December was filled with beautiful moments of sisterhood, moments where we came together simply to celebrate, uplift, and be with one another. From honoring milestones like Mer and Jessica’s birthdays, to gathering for holiday celebrations and festive traditions, including Amber’s annual bourbon party, where guests tasted 17 bourbons, this month reminded us that community is built not only in rooms of conversation, but in moments of joy.
These gatherings, big and small, are what ground us. They remind us that Women Empower is a circle of women who show up for one another, cheer loudly, love deeply, and celebrate every step forward. Here’s to the moments that keep us connected, inspired, and rising together.
🌱 Looking Ahead
🌿 WE’s Members-Only Brunch: January’s brunch will be an intentional space to reconnect after the holidays, welcome new members, reflect on what we’re completing, and begin shaping what we want to create moving forward. Rather than rushing into goals or resolutions, this gathering will invite thoughtful conversation, clarity, and shared intention as we look toward the year ahead. Details are in the WE app
📣 Join Us
Women Empower is more than a membership; it is a movement.
- Become a Member → [Membership Inquiries]
- Sponsor or Partner with Us → [Partnership inquiries]
- Follow Our Journey → [Follow WE here]
Together, we are creating a global sisterhood of fulfilled, authentic, and powerful women.
✨ Closing Thought
As this year comes to a close, we’re reminded that community is not built in a single moment. It’s built through presence, consistency, and the willingness to show up honestly over time. This season has been filled with growth, celebration, learning, and connection, and none of it exists in isolation. It exists because women chose to gather, to listen, to lead, and to rise together.
As we move into a new year, may we carry forward what strengthened us, the relationships, the clarity, the courage, and release what no longer belongs in the next chapter. We don’t move forward alone, and we don’t move forward unchanged. We move forward informed, supported, and rooted in who we are becoming.
Thank you for being part of this community. We look forward to continuing to grow, gather, and rise together.
A Resource to Support Your Year-End Reflection
Before stepping fully into the new year, we invite you to take a moment to complete 2025.
Crystalize Your Year 2026 is a free guided resource designed to help you reflect on the year behind you, integrate the lessons and wins, release what no longer serves you, and intentionally create what’s next.
This resource is available to both members and non-members.