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Cathy Cooper

@cathycoops

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community strategist & founder 🇵🇦
building chicago's home for women founders @beyondhervision_

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Flew to LA for @createcultivate and came home with a very full page of notes📝

There’s room to acknowledge the things that could have been better (because the event wasn’t perfect by any means!) while also acknowledging what was genuinely valuable about attending.

For me, these are the takeaways I’m bringing home:

→ Community is a growth strategy.
→ Do it scared AND prepared.
→ Keep making time for the work you LOVE.
→ Ownership = wealth.
→ What’s your “FU number”? 💸

But my favorite part?

20+ Chicago women founders in one place🥹🧡

Women from the @beyondhervision_ community who I got to Airbnb with, sit alongside, connect with + share a dinner table with.

I’m leaving with new relationships, new questions, new ideas + a deeper reminder of why I care so much about community.

& that feels worth taking home :) taken in Los Angeles, California by @cathycoops

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11 days ago

She couldn’t find the room, so she built it. 🧡

Cathy Cooper started Beyond Her Vision because early-stage women founders needed a community of their own and those who were in the exact same stage of figuring it out.

Today, Beyond Her Vision brings women founders together through intimate events, workshops, and an annual summit, and the connections that come out of it are the whole point.

Get a little nosey and read Cathy’s full story in nosey vol. 5 at the link in our bio. by @cathycoops

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19 days ago

The women behind the conversation. ✨

Four panelists bringing their real stories, hard-earned lessons, and completely different business journeys.
One moderator ready to ask the questions that take us beyond the polished answers.
And a room full of women invited to be part of the conversation.

At Built to Last: Navigating the Seasons of Business, we’re talking honestly about the growth, uncertainty, pivots, setbacks, reinvention, and everything else that comes with building something of your own.
Joining the panel:
✨ Chanla Chau of @chanla.chau.cosmetics ✨ Nilly Naseer-Farooqui of @wordsbehindasmile  ✨ Cathy Cooper of @beyondhervision_  ✨ Jamie Berry of @vernstavern
With Ashley Rufino guiding the conversation as moderator.

After the panel, the conversation continues through live audience Q+A and guided roundtable discussions—because some of the perspective you need may be waiting inside another woman’s story.

📅 September 9, 2026 | 6–9 PM 📍 The Ellery | Crystal Lake

For the first time ever, this She.E.O.s event is open to non-members. Come pull up a chair—we would truly love to have you in the room.

🎟️ Reserve your seat through the link in our bio. taken in The Ellery Venue by @cathycoops

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a month ago

Our fourth and final panelist reveal is here! ✨

Meet Cathy Cooper, community strategist and founder of Beyond Her Vision.

Cathy believes entrepreneurship is stronger—and far less isolating—when women don’t have to navigate it alone. Through Beyond Her Vision, she has grown a Chicago network of more than 800 women founders and created the kinds of in-person experiences where genuine relationships, collaboration, and business growth can take root.

Her understanding of community as an essential part of building a sustainable business makes her a meaningful addition to our Built to Last conversation.

Swipe to learn more about Cathy and the community-centered work she is building! taken in The Ellery Venue by @cathycoops

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a month ago

So… what does a community strategist actually do? 👀

Basically, I help women-owned brands figure out what’s missing in their community & come up with the strategy to make it better.

This dream client is such a perfect example of the work I LOVE doing💛 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @cathycoops

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2 months ago

4 years of having the privilege of knowing you and being loved by you 🥹 What a gift it’s been to do life with you!

Here’s to more dates around the world, more adventures that remind us to never lose our inner child, and more laughter that brings us to tears :)

I’d wait for you in every lifetime🤍🫶🏽 by @cathycoops

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3 months ago

& our love story continues 💍❤️ taken in Chicago, Illinois by @cathycoops

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3 months ago

Most days, entrepreneurship isn’t glamorous.

It’s my laptop coming everywhere with me (yes, even on vacation😅). It’s strategy sessions, client calls, community-building projects, event planning, and all the behind-the-scenes work that nobody sees.

The highlight is getting to step into the rooms we’ve spent months building - facilitating conversations, speaking, hosting events, and watching founders make meaningful connections (my fav part!!) 🧡

Building something of your own is hard in ways nobody really prepares you for. But getting to do work I love while serving founders and helping build stronger communities? That part makes all the long hours soooo worth it.

& I wouldn’t trade it for anything :)

#EntrepreneurLife #CommunityBuilder #WomenFounders #FounderLife #SmallBusinessOwner by @cathycoops

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3 months ago

Highly recommend working remotely from CDMX🇲🇽🌮💃🏽 taken in Ciudad De México by @cathycoops

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4 months ago

Beyond Her Vision started as exactly that… a vision.

And last week, I got to watch 90 women founders step into theirs 🤍

The power of vision is real. The more you speak it, write it down, believe in it, and take action toward it - the more your reality starts to shift.

Last week, @beyondhervision_ ‘s 2nd annual Summit brought 90 women founders together in Chicago for a night of honest conversations, meaningful connection, and reminders that we do not have to sacrifice ourselves to build something successful.

And the feedback afterwards honestly left me emotional:
“the energy in the room was electric”
“I came alone and left with 10 new friends”
“one of the BEST networking events I’ve ever been to”

Women are craving real community right now. Especially founders.

Spaces where we can be honest about entrepreneurship, support each other, collaborate, and feel less alone in the process matter more than ever.

So grateful to every attendee, speaker, sponsor, and partner who helped bring this vision to life 🫶🏽✨

Beyond Her Vision is only getting started!! taken in Chicago, Illinois by @cathycoops

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5 months ago

1.5 months until our 2nd Beyond Her Vision Summit for women entrepreneurs in Chicago and I seriously can’t wait!!

Sharing more about the why behind this year’s theme because it feels SO needed right now.

Also stepping out of my comfort zone with more talking videos 🙈 Let me know if you want to see more of these & if you’ll be joining us on May 1st🥳💗 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @cathycoops

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7 months ago

Surround yourself with positive energy, powerful women, and rooms that open doors. 🤍

Last time, we brought together female founders, creatives, and entrepreneurs for an intentional evening of connection, collaboration, and real conversations - not just small talk.

Because when the right women are in the room…
✨ opportunities happen
✨ ideas grow
✨ and your next level feels closer

If you’ve been looking for your founder community - this is it.

Our next meet-up is March 12.
Come build, connect, and grow with us.

Comment “FOUNDERS” or DM me for details 💌

#womeninbusiness #femalefounder #chicagoentrepreneurs #chicagonetworking #womenempowerment taken in Chicago, Illinois by @cathycoops

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8 months ago