YWCA Missoula's bi-annual Women's Leadership Series will be held Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. beginning Friday, Feb. 12. Sessions will take place at the YWCA's Planet Kids, which is located in the basement of Missoula Aging Services at 337 Stephens Avenue. Tuition is $500, and scholarships are available. Applications can be downloaded from www.ywcaofmissoula.org and are due by Friday, Feb. 5. To learn more contact Jen Euell at 543.6691 or jeuell@ywcaofmissoula.org.

The eight-week series runs through April 2 and is designed to reconnect women to their "best selves" in a safe and welcoming environment, said Sally Mullen, director of Women's Leadership at the YWCA.

"We ask women to do the difficult work of figuring out who they are and who they want to be in their lives and in the workplace," said Mullen, who has managed and consulted with nonprofits and small businesses since 1979. "This process helps them clarify their ambitions and passions, as well as their leadership abilities."

"This was a great chance to learn leadership from the inside out in a fun and positive atmosphere,” said Jean Zosel, station manager of KECI-TV, who went through the series last fall. “I highly recommend it."

Euell, director of the YWCA's girls leadership program, GUTS!, will co-facilitate the series with Mullen.

"Your best life and your best work are one in the same," said Euell. "We want to help women realize they don't have to try to satisfy the demands of everyone around them, which is such a common problem among women."

According to Mullen and Euell, participants will:

• Analyze strengths as leaders and strengthen innate leadership abilities
• Appreciate differences between male and female leadership styles
• Clarify ambitions and passions
• Identify barriers to success and seek out solutions
• Bring greater awareness to interactions with others
• Network about local leadership opportunities
• Increase awareness of traditional female behaviors that may undermine credibility
• Look at change models
• Learn flexible leadership/communication techniques that apply to more than one setting
• Identify and embrace personal values and put them to work
• Examine how attitude shapes leadership

Founded in 1911, YWCA Missoula is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.