Hmong Women Lead 2025
Rooted in Resilience: Leading with Courage, Healing in Community
This year’s theme invites us to gather not just as individuals, but as a collective of Hmong women—across generations and geographies—who are ready to break silence, reclaim voice, and lead with purpose. Though our stories are each unique, we are united by shared experiences of cultural pressure, unspoken pain, and a deep longing for healing. We are naming what was once buried. We are transforming lived experience into leadership. And we are rising—not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come.
Together, we heal, lead, and rise.
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Event Details
  • Free online Summit
  • Sunday, June 8, 2025
  • 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST
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How to Participate
  • Watch live on June 8
  • No registration required
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What to Expect
  • Powerful talks from Hmong women leaders
  • Discussions on healing and mental health
  • Community resources and support
Why We Transitioned to a Virtual Format in 2025
Hmong Women Lead 2025 was originally envisioned as an in-person gathering, but after deep listening sessions and community feedback, we made the intentional decision to transition to a fully virtual format.
This shift reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting our community where they are, and making space for healing and leadership in ways that honor the realities many Hmong women face today.
This decision was rooted in three main goals:
Accessibility
Hosting the event online allows more Hmong women across the country and even globally—to participate, especially those who face barriers related to travel, caregiving, finances, or safety.
Sustainability
As a community-led and volunteer-supported initiative, we are committed to stewarding our resources wisely. Going virtual allows us to focus on content, connection, and storytelling without the logistical and financial pressures of an in-person event.
Continuity
By pivoting online, we’re able to keep the spirit of Hmong Women Lead alive this year while preparing for a deeper, in-person convening in the future.
No matter the format, our purpose remains the same: to build healing spaces, strengthen sisterhood, and amplify the leadership of Hmong women through culturally grounded care, connection, and courage. Whether we gather in person or through a screen, you belong in this movement.
Your presence is not passive—it’s powerful. By showing up, listening, sharing, or simply holding space, you are helping to break cycles of silence and build a future rooted in resilience, equity, and collective healing.
We may be miles apart, but our stories, hopes, and leadership are woven together.
This is more than an event—it’s a continuation of a legacy.
And it begins with you.
From the Founder, Yangmee Lor
Nyob zoo!
Welcome to Hmong Women Lead 2025.
This space was created from the quiet truths many Hmong women have carried for generations—where mental health is often misunderstood, dismissed, or buried beneath silence, fear, and cultural stigma. In our families, suffering is often endured quietly, and seeking help can be seen as weakness or disrespect. But unspoken pain doesn’t disappear. It passes from one generation to the next, until someone chooses to name it, face it, and begin to heal.
We hold this gathering to say: you are not alone.
This year, we’ve moved online with care and intention. We heard from women balancing work, caregiving, healing, and survival—and knew we needed to meet people where they are. This format honors flexibility, accessibility, and the reality that healing doesn’t require you to step away from your life, it can happen within it.
Hmong Women Lead is more than a summit. It’s a collective breath. A continuing commitment to mental health, cultural healing, and sisterhood. Here, mental health is not a weakness. It is a conversation. A connection. A commitment to one another and to ourselves. A movement.
Wherever you are on your journey—whether quietly listening, actively healing, or supporting someone else, know that you are not walking it alone.
With love,
Yangmee Lor
Founder, Hmong Women Lead
​​www.hmongwomenlead.com
Mission
Hmong Women Lead empowers Hmong women and girls through leadership development. We create culturally grounded spaces that uplift voices, break cycles of silence, and foster mental, emotional, and community well-being.
Vision
We envision a future where Hmong women lead boldly, heal generational wounds, and shape systems rooted in equity, belonging, and collective care.
2024 Hmong Women Lead Post Event Survey
Mental Health Awareness
About 60% of people already knew a lot about mental health challenges in the Hmong community. But over a quarter said they didn’t know much, which shows we still need to keep raising awareness and sharing information in ways that make sense for our community.
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Why People Attended
The top reason people came was to connect with others and build their network.
Top Motivations for Attending
32% joined to build their network and connect with others
24% came for personal development
18% selected “Other,” often expressing a desire to feel seen, supported, and culturally understood
12% wanted to learn more about mental health
9% attended for cultural connection
5% came for professional development opportunities
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Feeling Welcomed
A large majority——shared that the event felt inclusive and welcoming.
Participants appreciated the respectful atmosphere, language support, and the intentional inclusion of multiple generations.
Many noted feeling seen and valued, regardless of their background or level of experience.
A small portion of responses came from individuals who did not attend the event in person but still chose to offer feedback.
Their reflections reinforce the reach and resonance of Hmong Women Lead—even for those engaging from afar.
Testimonies
"I was on the verge of a second mid-life mental health crisis collapse due to work, personal life, and past trauma. This conference helped me recenter to find myself again, and I came back home stronger than ever."
"Being able to connect with like-minded Hmong women was empowering. Hearing stories and shared experiences gave me confidence in my leadership abilities."
"I am just a member of the community, I have no mental health background but I did want to say what an amazing job this conference did in bringing the importance of mental health to light. I loved seeing other Hmong women and hearing about what they do. I would have loved to have met more people and hear more about them. I think a breakout session where maybe we could have just talked to each other would have been a great addition."
Mental Health Guide In Progress
We’re excited to share that our Hmong Women Mental Health Guide is nearing completion! This guide is the result of Hmong women, mental health professionals, cultural practitioners, and community advocates coming together to share stories, wisdom, and healing strategies rooted in lived experience.
Together, we’re creating a resource that reflects our identities, honors our journeys, and offers meaningful support for those working to care for Hmong women.
Thank you to the Chinook Fund for helping us get to the finish line. Your support has made it possible to bring this vision to life and uplift culturally grounded healing in our communities.
Coming Soon…
🔍 What’s Inside?
A Mental Health Guide for Mental Health Professionals created by Hmong Women
Get ready for something powerful.
The Hmong Women Mental Health Guide is more than a resource — it’s a breakthrough.
It bridges the gap between clinical expertise and cultural insight, offering real stories, practical tools, and a lens rooted in lived experience.
Because healing happens when culture and care finally speak the same language.
2025 Online Speakers & Topics
Our event brings together exceptional Hmong women leaders who will share their expertise and insights on critical topics affecting our community.
Annie Lee
Trauma-informed Counselor • Circle Facilitator
From Circle to System: How Hmong Sisterhood Can Influence Community Care Models
This session explores how healing spaces like Hmong sisterhood circles can become powerful models for community wellness and long-term care. These intimate, culturally grounded gatherings have created space to break generational silence, foster trust, and support healing in ways traditional systems often overlook.
Register for an upcoming online event:
Awaken Your Inner Compass: Trusting Your Intuition | 29 June 2025 Sunday, 04:00 PM PDT
Mindy Heu
Licensed Clinical Social Worker • Child Welfare
Let Us Talk Taboo – Child Sexual Abuse in the Hmong Community
Child sexual abuse is a public health problem. The true prevalence of child sexual abuse in the Hmong community is unknown.
Consent empowers a child to understand their rights in relation to their own body. Using the correct names of body parts, including private parts of the body, plays an important role in body safety. This session will open up honest dialogue about a deeply stigmatized issue and explore how we can protect and educate future generations.
2025 Online Speakers & Topics Cont.
Dr. Sendra Yang
PharmD, MBA • Pharmacist and Medical Information Professional • Speaker
Mental Health and Medications in the Hmong Community
This talk explores mental health challenges and the role of medications in treatment, with a focus on the Hmong community.
The session will cover how common mental health medications work, address common concerns and misconceptions, and discuss ways to support culturally respectful care.
Yangmee Lor
Founder of Hmong Women Lead • Certified Mediator • Business Consultant
Rooted in Resilience – Leading from Lived Experience to Create Systemic Change
Yangmee Lor invites us to explore how the truths we carry—often shaped by struggle, survival, and silence—hold the power to shift systems, build community, and drive healing.
It’s a call to recognize that the most meaningful change often begins not in institutions, but in the lived experiences of those most affected.
Mental Health Resource
988 Digital Toolkit
As part of our commitment to community wellness, we're also sharing the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Digital Toolkit.
988 is a free, confidential, 24/7 lifeline for individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, or emotional distress. It's also available for those supporting loved ones in crisis.
This digital toolkit includes flyers, social media graphics, and sample messaging that can be shared in your networks and communities.
Thank You for Being Part of Hmong Women Lead 2025
This gathering is more than a moment—it’s part of a growing movement to center healing, uplift Hmong women’s voices, and lead from lived experience.
We hope you leave today feeling more connected, more grounded, and more powerful in your truth.
Stay Connected
Ways to Stay Involved
  • 🌀 Host a Sister Circle — Connect with Annie to bring a healing circle to your community
  • 📣 Advocate for Mental Health Equity — You don’t have to advocate alone. Use your voice to raise awareness and support culturally grounded care alongside a growing network of Hmong women and allies in your community.
  • 🎤 Bring a Speaker to Your Community — Many of our past and current speakers are available to lead trainings, workshops, and community talks. Reach out to connect with them and bring their expertise to your local area.
  • 🤝 Join Our Network — Stay informed about upcoming events, trainings, and ways to collaborate
No matter where you go from here, know that your story matters. Your leadership matters. And this movement is stronger because you are part of it.