Monday Girl's Istiana Bestari on Finding Your Tribe and the Power of Community

And So, She Left: Wisdom from Women Beyond the Corporate World

Our journey into entrepreneurship can often feel lonely. We may lack connections with people who understand us or miss out on useful feedback, leading to doubts and questions about our abilities. Istiana Bestari knows all of this well.

As a young entrepreneur, Istiana experienced the struggles of working alone first-hand. She's persisted through long hours and plenty of stress, balancing multiple jobs while navigating the uncertain waters of the creative industry. But Istiana didn't simply fixate on her pain points; she turned them into points of connection with others.

Together with her partner, Rachel Wong, Istiana co-founded Monday Girl, a supportive network for women facing similar career challenges. Through the network, they took their personal experiences and created a space for mutual support and understanding, essentially becoming users of their own service.

In this episode, Istiana shares her journey as a co-founder, how she changed her networking approach, and how she handled stress during tough times. She discusses her periods of loneliness, how she found her community through sharing her experiences, and why it's so important for women to connect and collaborate on their professional journey.

Learn more about Monday Girl.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to turn your pain points into points of connection with others
• The often isolating experience of pursuing an entrepreneurial venture
• How to find your tribe as an entrepreneur, and why identifying your ideal professional community is worth the effort
• Effective public speaking practices for introverts
• Embracing your intuition as an entrepreneur with a background in the creative industries

Quote of the Week:

“I think humans need community...if you find people that make you feel safe, challenge you, and want to see you win...that is life-changing." - Istiana Bestari

Hosted by Katherin Vasilopoulos. Made by Cansulta and Ethan Lee.

Music by © Chris Zabriskie, published by You've Been a Wonderful Laugh Track (ASCAP).

Songs used in this episode include: "Air Hockey Saloon," "Oxygen Garden," "Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To," "What True Self? Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X," "Let Your Enemies Feel the Weight of Your Burdens," "I Am Running a Marathon with Thousands of Other Highly Qualified People Who Are All Trying to Defeat Me," "Short Song 021423," "Out of the Skies, Under the Earth,"

Used under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License