What It Really Takes to Build a Community That Lasts

​How do you build a community people actually want to be part of (and keep showing up for)?

​In this session, we’re sitting down with Rachel Wong and Istiana Bestari, co-founders of Monday Girl, a private networking platform helping women in their 20s and 30s build the careers and connections of their dreams.

​What started as a newsletter and passion project has grown into one of Canada’s leading career platforms for women, with over 40,000 members, a paid membership program (Monday Girl Social Club), and partnerships with brands like Pinterest, Deloitte, and Knix.

​We’ll talk about:

• ​How they went from content to community to company

• ​What most people get wrong about “authenticity”

• ​Growing a brand without losing trust

• ​The behind-the-scenes of building a sustainable membership model

​Whether you’re building a niche group, launching a brand, or just craving better community online — this one’s for you.

​Rachel and Istiana launched Monday Girl to fill a gap they felt firsthand — the lack of inclusive, stylish, and genuinely helpful career spaces for women. Rachel brings a background in influencer marketing and partnerships, while Istiana is a multi-hyphenate creative director and content strategist.

​Together, they’ve grown Monday Girl from a side hustle into a go-to community for thousands of women across Canada and beyond, redefining what modern professional networking can look like.