💜 Reflection, Leadership & Confidence — My Experience at The Thriving Women Conference

Greetings, skin microbiome enthusiasts 💜

This week’s blog is about reflection and leadership, two things that every entrepreneur needs to grow.

If you didn’t know me before founding Fafabiotic, let me share a bit of my journey.

From Engineering to Entrepreneurship

In college, I studied Irrigation Engineering, where I was one of the few women in the program. At 23, I moved from Iran to the U.S. and pursued my Master’s and Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Penn State — again, one of the few females in my department.

Then came my years in academia — three years as a postdoc and non-tenure faculty at UC Davis. There, for the first time, I saw more women than I ever had before. Still, every conference I attended was the same story: a room full of men, with a few of us women scattered in between.

When I joined industry in 2011, working as a senior scientist in fermentation and formulation, the pattern continued. Later, when I moved into leadership roles and joined an executive team, the number of women dropped even more — sometimes to zero, especially in technical discussions. Most of my professional life has been in BioAg, a field even more male-dominated than biotech.

So, for over two decades, my eyes got used to it — rooms filled with my brilliant male colleagues, conferences filled with suits and serious tones. That was my “normal.”

I did have a small circle of female friends — all badass leaders, confident, driven, and kind. I thought that was normal too — that confidence was the rule, and self-doubt the exception.

Seeing the Gender Gap Differently

When I started Fafabiotic, I saw another side of inequality: funding.
Women don’t just face a smaller slice of the pie — we’re often speaking a different language than the people handing out the slices. Most investors are men, used to hearing men pitch like men.

So I decided: I’m not going to chase VC money.
My long-term goal became something else — to become an investor myself and fund women who pitch differently, speak differently, lead differently.

But if you know me, you know I’m not great at waiting for “someday.”
So, I started early. I pledged to dedicate 5% of Fafabiotic’s revenue to support other women-owned businesses.
I made that pledge when I had exactly $0 in revenue — because commitment doesn’t wait for comfort.

Meeting Lisa Hansen and Discovering TWC

Then, I met this incredible human force: Lisa Hansen.
We first met on Zoom and instantly clicked. Later, we met for coffee, and within minutes, I knew — she’s my person. I decided to support her business before I even fully knew what she did.

That’s how I became a sponsor for her event, The Thriving Women Conference (TWC) — a day designed to help women regain personal confidence and step fully into their power.

At the time, I thought: There must be just a handful of women who really need this. I imagined my small contribution would have a big impact.

I was wrong.

What I Saw at TWC Changed Me

Walking into TWC, my eyes needed time to adjust — not to light, but to color.
Pink, red, yellow everywhere.
Women from 20 to 70, glowing in their best outfits, heels, and bright lipstick, with the kind of smiles that light up a room.

And my first thought?
“They all look so confident, so successful — what could they possibly need from a confidence conference?”

Then the event started.

And it was nothing like the conferences I’ve attended all my life.
The speakers didn’t just walk onto the stage — they danced their way there! Each woman chose her own walk-on song, played by this amazing DJ, Isabel Mayo. The energy was contagious — people stood up, clapped, and cheered as if they were welcoming sisters home.

When they began speaking, these weren’t corporate leadership lectures or sterile PowerPoint talks. These were real, raw, deeply personal stories — about failure, fear, and resilience. About showing up messy and growing anyway.

One of the first speakers, Jennifer Chalker, said something I’ll never forget:

“No one really knows what they’re doing — we’re all figuring it out.”

She was funny, honest, and painfully relatable. Even for someone like me — with what I thought was a solid bag of confidence — it was exactly what I needed to hear.

As I looked around the room, I saw women nodding, taking notes, shedding quiet tears. That’s when it hit me:
Confidence isn’t as common as I thought. I had been wrong again.

What I Took Home

If you’re early in your career, launching your first business, or simply wanting to feel more confident — go to TWC.
You’ll leave lighter, stronger, and more connected.

And truthfully?
These kinds of events aren’t just for women. Our men could benefit from this kind of openness too.
Maybe one day, Lisa will host a Thriving Men Conference — I’ll be first in line to sponsor that too.

Because reflection, vulnerability, and leadership are not gendered traits.
They’re human ones. 💜

until next blog, cheers

— Dr. Farzaneh Rezaei, Founder of Fafabiotic

The Thriving Women Conference