Started late? Took a break? Careers that don't always make sense Meetup Recap

On 26th April, I hosted a women’s meetup around something I think a lot of women quietly carry : career gaps, unconventional paths, late starts and the constant feeling of being “behind” in life.

I put the post up pretty last minute but a lot of women still turned up.
And honestly, I’m really glad they did.

The idea for this meetup came from my own life.

I had a late career start because I spent 5 years preparing for UPSC.
By the time I entered the workforce, a lot of people around me already had stable careers, relationships and entire lives built for themselves.
Meanwhile I didn’t even have a job yet.
Things eventually worked out for me.

But what people don’t talk enough about is how deeply these things affect women emotionally.
The shame.
The comparison.
The guilt of “wasting years.”
The fear that life is somehow moving faster for everyone else.

And strangely, even after life improves, some part of that feeling stays with you.
One thing I always wished for back then was a space where women could just talk about these things honestly without someone immediately trying to fix them.

Sometimes women don’t need solutions.
Sometimes we just want to vent and need someone to say,
“yeah, I understand.”

That’s pretty much what this meetup became.

Around 9 women turned up and every single person had a story.

One woman had started her career late.
One had tried multiple career paths and felt like she wasted years.
One had to leave behind the field she genuinely loved.
One was stuck in a career break and didn’t know how to restart.
One didn’t feel connected to her current job anymore.
One wanted to return to a field she deeply missed.

Different lives.
Same emotions.

And I think that’s exactly why women need spaces like this.
Because women are constantly told :
“why stress so much about career, you can always get married.”

As if women only work for money.
And not because ambition, passion, creativity and independence matter to us too.

What I loved most was how safe the conversation felt despite everyone being strangers just an hour earlier.

No networking pressure.
No forced activities.
Just women sitting on the grass in Lalbag and talking honestly.

Over time I’ve realised that topic-based meetups work surprisingly well for women who want to meet new people but don’t really enjoy the usual “let’s all just hang out” format.

I’ve hosted quite a few now and there are a lot of repeat attendees because I think women genuinely enjoy making friends this way :
through shared experiences instead of forced socialising.

Also if any woman here has been wanting to host something similar but feels awkward or confused about where to start, I’m genuinely happy to help with ideas or formats.
Anyways, that was our Sunday :)

This Sunday on 10th May I'm hosting another meetup and it is thankfully going to be far less emotional.

More games, more chaos, less collective trauma dumping.

Check out the next meetup : https://twox.in/post/BVYB-Mothers-Assemble-A-Mother-s-Day-Event-for-all-wo

PS : In case you missed this meetup, we also did a podcast on the same topic long before. Check it out here : https://twox.in/post/K9V9-Episode-5-The-truth-about-having-a-non-linear-ca