In a world where connection can often feel transactional, Women of Impact was born out of something far more human: the need to belong.

For founder Rachel Squire, that need became clear when she returned home to Shreveport after more than a decade immersed in military life. In that world, community came built in. Back home, it didn’t.

“There was nowhere for me to plug in,” she said. “No real community. I didn’t know anybody.”

What she longed for wasn’t another networking group or a room full of business cards. It was something deeper. Something real.

“I wanted something organic,” Squire said. “A safe space for women. Not a place where someone’s trying to sell you something or get a lead. Just a place where you could be seen.”

That vision became Women of Impact, a space designed to restore what so many women quietly lose while pouring into everyone else.

“As women, as wives, as mothers, as business owners, we’re constantly pouring out,” she said. “And our cups get empty. You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

What began as a simple idea quickly grew into something much larger. Encouraged by a small group of women who believed in the mission, the concept took shape through shared effort and complementary strengths.

“It was never meant to be a one-woman mission,” Squire said. “There’s no way I could have done this alone.”

Today, the organization is guided by a six-woman board, each bringing leadership, vision and a shared commitment to building something intentional, rooted in purpose and driven by heart.

The group meets once a month, but what happens in that room extends far beyond a calendar date.

“There’s no agenda,” Squire said. “No selling. No pressure. It’s just … I see you.”

For many women, that simple acknowledgment is powerful.

“I can’t tell you how many women feel like they’re walking through life alone,” she said. “How many feel unseen, unheard, misunderstood.”

Inside Women of Impact, that changes.

Women share. They listen. They connect. And in doing so, something shifts.

“When your cup is full, when you feel valued, you want to give that to others,” Squire said. “That’s where the real impact begins.”

Now, after a year of building connection, Women of Impact is stepping into its next chapter: action.

“We’ve spent time getting our bearings,” she said. “Now it’s about going out and doing the work.”

That work includes quarterly give-back initiatives, volunteer efforts and intentional outreach across the community. Members are encouraged not just to talk about impact, but to live it.

“Let’s go be stewards of our community,” Squire said. “Let’s fill the gaps where people feel forgotten.”

Whether it’s assembling care packages, visiting nursing homes or supporting local causes, the mission remains the same: extend the care found within the group outward into the community.

The organization is also launching a monthly recognition initiative, honoring women who are already making a difference, regardless of titles or memberships.

“You shouldn’t have to pay to be recognized for doing good,” Squire said. “We just want to say, ‘We see you. And what you’re doing matters.’”

What started as a personal solution is quickly becoming something much bigger, with growing interest and the potential for expansion beyond Shreveport.

Squire isn’t focused on limits.

“I don’t like to box it in,” she said. “But there’s a lot of belief in what this can become.”

Still, the true measure of success isn’t growth. It’s impact.

If Women of Impact leaves one lasting legacy, Squire hopes it’s rooted in something simple, yet powerful: how people feel.

“People may forget what you said, people may forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

“That’s it,” she said. “If we can create a space where women feel loved, seen and valued … that’s the legacy.”

And in a world that often asks women to be everything for everyone else, that kind of space isn’t just meaningful.

It’s transformational.

Women of Impact meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m. Learn more at womenofimpactla.com.

This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of Three18 Insider magazine.