An International Women’s Day Celebration – THE GROUP CHAT IRL

A Day of Party, Progress & Purpose
International Women’s Day Returns — Bigger, Bolder, and Unapologetically Celebratory

On March 7th, 400 women will gather for what has quickly become one of San Diego’s most anticipated women-led experiences: the Second Annual International Women’s Day Celebration.

But this isn’t a conference.

It’s a room.

A room where entrepreneurs stand next to surgeons. Where founders meet filmmakers. Where mothers, athletes, executives, creatives, and women in their becoming laugh loudly, think deeply, and remind each other what’s possible when we stop doing it alone.

Last year, more than 300 women filled the space with a kind of energy that felt alive. This year, the experience expands — elevated, immersive, and intentionally curated from start to finish.

Hosted at Julep Venue and powered by Outspoken Management Group, the 2026 celebration blends conversation with culture, intention with movement, and ambition with art.

Guests are welcomed with sparkling beverages — mocktails included — alongside craft cocktails from Snake Oil. Curated grazing stations, sweets, and a dessert bar create a relaxed, social atmosphere that feels closer to a beautifully hosted gathering than a traditional event.

Throughout the day, 45 women-owned businesses transform the venue into a marketplace of creativity and entrepreneurship. Attendees shop, connect, and discover brands founded by women building bold things.

The atmosphere is unmistakably celebratory.

Music by MY DJ’s San Diego turns networking into movement, carrying the room between conversation and dance floor. The immersive photo experience by Selfie Station ensures every guest leaves with a polished reminder that she showed up and took up space. Outside, Baby’s Burgers adds playful food truck flair — a nostalgic, street-fair element layered into an elevated setting.

And then there are the aerial performers — suspended above the crowd, adding an unexpected artistic dimension that shifts the room from gathering to spectacle.

At the heart of the day is The Group Chat: IRL Panel — a powerful, multi-dimensional conversation about resilience, reinvention, and visibility.

Emcee Claudia Sandoval, award-winning chef and the first Latina winner of MasterChef U.S., brings warmth and authority to the stage.

The keynote address is delivered by Rebecca Bender, TEDx speaker and leadership strategist whose work spans 27 countries. Her message transforms adversity into a blueprint for impact and reinvention.

The Power Panel features aerospace engineer Jasmine LeFlore, Olympic Trials semifinalist turned government consultant Deshae Wise, filmmaker Ruth Du, and board-certified cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Alexandra Kharazi — women who have built careers in industries where they were not always expected to lead.

Moderating the discussion is cultural powerhouse Brandee J, whose media platform champions women in spaces not originally built for them.

Together, they explore what it truly takes to thrive in male-dominated industries — not just professionally, but personally. The conversation spans ambition and softness, strength and identity, leadership and belonging.

International Women’s Day 2026 is equal parts celebration and catalyst.

Guests don’t leave with just inspiration.

They leave with new collaborators in their phones. With clarity. With momentum. With the quiet confidence that comes from being in a room where women see each other clearly — and choose to rise together.

In a time when connection often feels digital and distant, this celebration offers something tangible:

A room filled with women who know they belong there.

And once you’ve felt that kind of room, you don’t forget it. ✨