If you live in the Northeast, spring isn’t exactly in the air. In fact, you may have woken up yesterday to a wintry mix of snow, sleet, rain and more snow. While I’m hoping this will be the last of the winter weather we’ll see for a while, I have to admit I did love the idea of getting some hygge on yesterday. Have you heard of hygee (pronounced HOO-g)?

If not, it’s a Danish term that loosely translates as “coziness” and involves enjoying simple pleasures, fireplaces, candles and all-around good vibes. The good people of Denmark certainly must be on to something; their country is consistently ranked No. 1 for happiness in the world, and I’m sure hygge has something to do with it! And yesterday, as I cozied up with hot cocoa, a thick pair of winter socks, a roaring fire, board games with my kids (who had a snow day … in March!) and of course my laptop, I couldn’t have been happier!

I also thought a lot about other things that make me happy. A key source of happiness for me is the Women in Retail Leadership Circle (and its upcoming Women in Retail Leadership Summit). Only four years ago my co-founder, Jen DiPasquale, and I organized a small event in Miami for women retail leaders. During the event, we could feel something special was happening around us. It was organic — and it was real. Since then, we launched a formal networking group for women, have an annual summit with more than 250 attendees, and host two regional events held in San Francisco and New York each year. And not a week goes by where I don’t hear a story about how our group helped a woman land a dream job, secure a board position, or make a personal or professional connection. Every time I hear about these great connections, it brings hygge back!

Just a FYI: Our Women in Retail Leadership Summit is coming up, and we’d love to have you there! It’s taking place at the Four Seasons in Miami from April 26-28, and focuses on business strategy as well as career and professional development. You can register here! And if you have any questions at all about the Summit or WIRLC, please feel free to drop me a line at mcampanelli@napco.com. I’d love to tell you all about it!

Enjoy!
Melissa Campanelli
Co-Founder, Women in Retail Leadership Circle