FemNEST: Empowering women to build financial freedom at every life stage

Event Overview

FemNEST officially launched on February 13, 2026, with a sold-out Galentine’s Day event in Paphos. Forty women attended in person, with additional attendees joining via live stream on Butter and Instagram from Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The event ran from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and was structured across three deliberate phases: naming what’s invisible, confronting crisis points, and building differently.

Event Name: Your Story is Our Story: A Galentine’s Day Celebration

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026

Venue: Boka Coworking Centre, Paphos, Cyprus

In-Person Attendance: 40 women

Geographic Reach: Cyprus (Paphos, Nicosia, Limassol), United Kingdom, Australia

Supporting Charity: Europa Donna Cyprus — 10% of ticket sales donated

Event Play-by-Play

10:00 AM — Doors Open

Attendees arrived to a curated networking space with premium refreshments provided by La Colazione, Crumble, and Peleano Spritz. Curated goodie bags from 12 community contributors were distributed. Professional photography underway. The atmosphere was deliberately warm and unhurried, designed to ease women into honest conversation before the programme began.

10:30 AM — Welcome & Opening Remarks

Serena Gasparini, Founder & CEO of FemNEST, opened the event by sharing her personal story, navigating PCOS, fertility treatments, caring for a son born with a medical condition, and the financial instability of freelance work. She read aloud a message of support from Josie Christodoulou, Cyprus’s Commissioner for Gender Equality, which gave immediate institutional recognition to the platform’s mission. The FemNEST community platform on Cliq was introduced, and founding members were invited to join in real time.

10:50 AM — Grounding Ritual

Catherine Galea, Award-Winning Mindfulness Teacher and Emotional Empowerment Coach, led the room through a grounding exercise, creating psychological safety and emotional readiness before the panel discussion began. This segment was not decorative. It was structural: the conversation that followed required the room to be present.

10:55 AM — Europa Donna Cyprus Introduction

Europa Donna Cyprus was formally introduced to the room. Their work providing guidance and support for women with breast cancer was acknowledged, and the donation of 10% of all ticket sales was confirmed publicly.

11:00 AM — Panel Discussion: Breaking the Silence

The panel opened with a warm-up question to all speakers: when did you first realise health and wealth couldn’t be separated? Each panellist responded personally and immediately, grounding the conversation in lived experience before moving to systemic analysis.

Segment 1 — Naming What’s Invisible: The panel named the systemic forces shaping women’s financial lives, biology, unpaid care work, data bias, and a healthcare and financial infrastructure not designed for them. The conversation addressed AI bias in health and financial data, the language of empowerment versus structural change, and the case for moving from maternity leave to parental leave as a policy and cultural shift.  

Segment 2 — The Crisis Points: The panel moved into what actually happens to women’s earnings, identity, and decision-making during health crises. Topics covered included: the panic and identity loss that follows a health crisis, the compounded financial vulnerability of entrepreneurial women, the cost of being the woman who holds everything together until she can’t, and the experience of navigating health emergencies within an underfunded or inaccessible public health system. 

Katya Solov addressed the persistent question of why femtech products are built only for women, and reframed it: when a woman has financial knowledge and stability, her entire family benefits. Marianna Hadjiandoniou named the compounded vulnerability facing women navigating both health challenges and disability, and the cost of systems not built to hold them.

Segment 3 — Building Differently: The final segment turned to solutions, architecture, and community. The panel examined the bias embedded in AI tools and the historical data they draw from, calling for transparency and accountability rather than passive trust. The conversation moved to what collective support actually looks like in practice, not inspiration, but strategy. The theme that emerged: financial resilience is not built alone. It is built in a community, with shared knowledge and shared weight.

The floor opened for audience questions. Discussion included the role of men in closing the gender wealth gap, the practicalities of financial planning during life transitions, and what it takes to build community rather than just content. 

12:00 PM — Closing Circle and Story Recording 

Cristelle Ambr facilitated optional story recording sessions — 5 to 10 minute interviews capturing attendees’ personal experiences at the intersection of health and wealth, for FemNEST’s Your Story is Our Story campaign.

Speakers & Facilitators

• Serena Gasparini — Moderator, Founder & CEO, FemNEST
• Catherine Galea — Mindfulness Practice Lead, Award-Winning Mindfulness Teacher & Emotional Empowerment Coach
• Anna Prodromou — DEI Consultant, Public Speaking Coach & HCI Researcher; Managing Director, The Anna Prodromou Inc.; President, WICZ+ Foundation
• Christina Michaelidou — ACC ICF Certified Life & Business Coach, Author of Design Your Wins Every Day; Founder, Design Your Wins; Marketing & Communications Director, ICF Cyprus Chapter
• Katya Solov — CEO & Founder, Miranna; Former Chief Legal Counsel
• Marianna Hadjiandoniou — Founder & Director, PERHA Group CY & UAE; General Secretary, Cyprus National Paralympic Committee; Executive Committee Member, CIBA; Committee Member for Technology & Innovation, Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Partners & Supporters

Community Partners

• Lea Women’s Centre — Ronit Basher Lazar, Founder
• NOLA est. 2022 — Theodora Alfredou & Amanda Demosthenous, Owners
• Business Women Society Cyprus

Venue & Core Suppliers

• Venue: Boka Coworking Centre, Paphos
• Catering: La Colazione, Crumble, Peleano
• Content Capture & Story Recording: Cristelle Ambr
• Photography: Anna Maria
• Volunteers: Gerly & Irina

Goodie Bag Contributors (12)

Handmade in Cyprus, Brunching Collection, Me Time Therapy, Marogya Ayurveda, Hannah’s House of Wellness, Roda.cy, Anfisa Shimkevich / Coaco, Gerly, Nadja Meurer (Face Reading), Samana Bio Garden, Bliss Natura, Wiggle.

Supporting Charity

Europa Donna Cyprus — 10% of all ticket sales donated directly to their work supporting women with breast cancer.

Supporting Charity

Europa Donna Cyprus provides essential guidance and support for women with breast cancer. 10% of ticket sales from the launch event were donated directly to Europa Donna Cyprus.

About FemNEST

FemNEST is Cyprus’s first community-first financial wellness platform for women — Financial Wellness, Grounded in Your Health, Wealth & Life. 

Operating across four pillars: Community First, Smart Investing, Financial Wellness, and Legislation & Advocacy. FemNEST combines peer support, financial education, and innovative technology to help women navigate crisis points with resilience and confidence. Founded in 2025 by Serena G, FemNEST is building a movement where women don’t just tell their stories, they change them.

Website: www.yourfemnest.com

Instagram: @yourfemnest

Community Platform: Cliq

Newsletter: FemNEST on Substack

Email: serena@yourfemnest.com