Community, Connection, and Belonging

There's something special about walking into a room and instantly recognizing so many familiar faces.

Every summer, that's exactly how I feel when I arrive at the Women In Automotive Conference. Even though my career has taken me in a different direction over the past few years, it never feels like I've left. Instead, it feels like coming home to a community that has continued to welcome me back year after year.

This year's conference reminded me why.

As I settled back into work, I realized it wasn't one particular keynote or breakout session that stayed with me. It was reconnecting with friends I only get to see once a year. It was getting to know women I'd only marginally known before and leaving the conference feeling like we'd built genuine friendships. It was the conversations between sessions, over coffee, and walking from one room to the next that made the biggest impression.

One of my favorite parts of the conference each year is having the opportunity to work alongside the incredible speakers. While attendees see them on stage, I've been fortunate enough to see the passion, preparation, and authenticity they bring behind the scenes. They aren't just sharing expertise. They're sharing their journeys, hoping someone else will leave feeling a little more confident, a little more inspired, and a little more prepared for what's ahead. That generosity is contagious, and it creates something much bigger than a conference. It creates a community.

Although I wasn't speaking this year, I found myself appreciating the experience in a different way. I had the opportunity to simply listen, learn, and absorb. Without the pressure of preparing for a presentation, I was able to be fully present in the conversations happening all around me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. Sometimes the greatest gift is simply having the space to learn from others.

As I reflected on the week, one thought kept surfacing.

For all the conversations about AI, evolving retail, changing consumer expectations, and where our industry is headed next, the moments that stayed with me were still about people.

How we lead.

How we encourage one another.

How we make someone feel like they belong.

Technology will continue to transform our businesses, but it will never replace the relationships we build or the trust we earn over time. Those things still matter. In fact, I believe they matter even more.

Some of the most valuable moments happened outside the scheduled sessions. They happened while sharing a meal, introducing one person to another, sitting beside someone new, or at Bingo Loco (you know who you are 🙂). Those conversations sparked fresh ideas, strengthened relationships, and reminded me that careers are still built one interaction at a time.

Perhaps that's why this conference continues to resonate with me year after year. It's certainly a place to learn, but it's also a place to reconnect with yourself, celebrate other women, and remember that none of us is navigating this industry alone.

As I unpacked my suitcase, I realized the most valuable thing I brought home wasn't in my notebook.

It was gratitude.

- Gratitude for the familiar faces who always make me feel welcome.

- Gratitude for the new friendships that grew from simple conversations.

- Gratitude for the remarkable speakers who gave so generously of their time, experience, and hearts.

- And gratitude for a community that continues to remind me that, even though I may not play in the same sandbox every day, I'll always feel like I belong.

Thank you to everyone who made this year's Women In Automotive Conference so memorable. I left inspired, energized, and already looking forward to seeing everyone again next year.

Beth Mach, WIA Board Member, has a passion to challenge the status quo and deliver value for all stakeholders while fostering an inclusive and empathetic culture, a competitive and rewarding workplace, and a sustainable and scalable business model. She also leverages her diverse skills and interests as a public speaker, an investor, a mentor, a volunteer, and a voice artist to empower, inspire, and connect people across categories and geographies.