At the retreat, I saw a gathering of brave, motivated highly energetic, independent and loving group of women who are ready and eager to make a difference in our culture. These women brought their experiences, background, exposing themselves freely to express themselves. After the retreat, I have gained many more positive views of our Hmong women. I saw and experienced so many strong will, independent, educated in many ways, and styles, very capable of becoming great leaders to lead us Hmong Women in this present time as well as in the future. The women who came together in this retreat are who I saw has vision, vision to help, to love, to change what is they saw wrong and are not afraid to make a move, to implement plans, and are passionate about it, not worry about time wasting nor energy wasting, they can do it like, Annie Lee. We need women like this to stop the corruptions and manipulations of women, young girls especially. I really look forward to hear from some of these strong will women with vision and passion to love and better our Hmong society. Another takeaway for me on the personal level is the importance of effective communication. I always thought that I had a problem because I was often coming as hard, mean, impatient, too strong will and strong heart; everyone seemed to be scared of me and was uncomfortable by the way I talk. But I realized now that i’m not alone; there are many women who are also in my shoes so I’m normal and I’m enough. That being said, what I took away was that we all could and need to work on our communication regardless. Overall, I’m really glad I was a part of this experience. I would very much recommend this to anyone….even just to come to listen or to get away from home, children, pets, house, husband for a break…it is going to be so worth it and I know you will discover something new and much more.

I am grateful to be one of the Sponsor-A-Sister Scholarship recipients to attend the Hmong Women Today Retreat with Annie Lee. As a mother of 2 and a wife to a husband who is on the road most of the time, I was stressed, burned out and unmotivated. I attended the retreat because I wanted to feel motivated and a sense of purpose again. My experience at the retreat was enriched with new friendships and hopes. After the retreat, I am inspired to come home to recreate a deeper meaningful relationships with my children and spouse. I had such a great experience that I would highly recommended it to anyone because I believe it will help others to feel better about themselves and that they are not alone.

I am Yang and I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter (in-law), friend and a behavior analyst. I was once ib tug ntxhais mloog mloog lus who did all I was told and it was never enough, so I broke away from the expectations. I no longer wanted to be ib tug ntxhais nquag nquag (a dutiful daughter) with the simple goal of life to grow up to be just someone’s daughter-in-law. There was more to life especially here where we have the freedom to choose for ourselves. I knew I had to “take a chance, make a change, and breakaway.” To make change we must break the mold. When my friend Gina invited and encouraged me to attend Hmong Women Today Retreat, I initially didn’t want to attend. I thought, “Why would I join some strangers on a retreat?” But I took a chance and walked out of my comfort zone. I am so glad I did. All the Hmong sisters I met had a plethora of passion, experiences, knowledge, and a big heart. I felt as if I had known everyone for such a long time, even though it was our first meeting. I felt connected and a part of something bigger. Being at the retreat I was able to speak from my heart and I was able to cultivate that fire I had so long ago. Thank you Annie Lee for your vision and your passion! Change cannot wait, change starts now and it starts with us because we pave the future for our daughters and sons. Here’s to STRONG women, may we know them, may we be them, and may we raise them.

My name is See Heu and this past weekend, I attended Hmong Women Today’s retreat hosted by Annie Lee. It was an transformational experience. I was surrounded by the quiet beauty of Bass Lake and I connected with an amazing group of Hmong sisters from all walks of life. It was a safe place to share, explore and find peace with our struggles as Hmong women. We laughed, we cried, and we all bonded through this experience.

This retreat has allowed me to discover so much about myself. I’ve always had a strong passion for advocacy. And when I think about issues that predominately affect women like sexual assault and domestic violence, I can feel a fire inside of me. Yet I have chosen to ignored these feelings because of its inconvenience to my current lifestyle. And although I have so much joy in my role as a mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend, there was always this harrowing emptiness within me. Because instead of cultivating what I felt deep inside of me, I kept trying to bury it.

At the retreat, I had a breakthrough. I will never find peace if I don’t pursue my passion. And although I know this may cause a disruption to my life, I cannot continue to ignore it.
This retreat has been a life-changing experience. I encourage all my Hmong sisters to attend. I know I have walked away feeling rejuvenated and empowered. There is clarity in my life, and I am excited about my future.

This weekend I attended the Hmong Women Today retreat with 29 other amazing, courageous, open-minded, and beautiful Hmong sisters. I am so grateful to Annie Lee and all the other ladies who made it possible for me to attend. Much love and gratitude. I didn’t really know what to expect from this retreat but to rediscover myself and gain knowledge from all who attended. And that’s exactly what I took from this retreat. Thank you for sharing all your stories and experiences. Oftentimes we get so use to our daily lives that we are on autopilot and forget to take care of ourselves first. Thank you to Tonnah, Nancy, and Choo for your reminders