ABOUT US
Behind every successful woman is a circle of other successful women who have her back.
The Business Women’s Circle® offers a supportive environment where members can grow both personally and professionally in business, leadership, and life. With women from diverse industries, backgrounds, and experiences, each Circle provides valuable insights from a variety of perspectives, sparking those transformative “ah-ha” moments.
Guided by an experienced facilitator and empowered by peer support, members thrive through accountability, continuous learning, and mutual encouragement.
Trusted Connections. Collective Wisdom. Unstoppable Growth.
Meet Lani Basa
The BWC Co-founder and Owner
As the co-founder and owner of The BWC® (The Business Women’s Circle) Lani is the glue that holds this community together. A natural facilitator of growth and connection, she is devoted to thoughtful community building and creating opportunities for growth and connection for women business owners, leaders, and young professionals. Lani is masterful at connecting the dots between people, opportunities, and resources, and loves bringing Circle members together in a mutually beneficial way.
In addition to The BWC® , Lani is also a coach, consultant, and facilitator for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Using her own experience and a robust toolbox, she works with clients to help them reach their personal and professional goals.
Lani recently founded The Circle Community, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing accessibility, education, and support for women in business to grow and contribute to the economy. We know that as we invest in women, they invest back in their communities.
Previously, Lani spent 22 years at Target Corporation as an “intrapreneur.” Her tenure includes time on the Marshall Field’s Stores Leadership Team as Director of Organizational Effectiveness, and in her last position, she created the HR Operations Division at Target. All her roles included a strong focus on strategic development, leadership coaching, and professional development.
The loves of Lani’s life are her people (family, ohana family, friends, pets...), learning (almost anything), the Pacific Northwest, food, books, and coworking spaces. Lani eventually plans to do more traveling. After living a nomadic life—having lived in 9 states and 6 countries—all by the time she graduated from college, she knows the wanderlust will hit again.
Connect with Lani
Business Instagram: @thebwcorg
Facebook: @thebusinesswomenscircle
Personal LinkedIn: Lani Basa
Personal Instagram: @lanibski
Our Facilitators
Our Facilitators are key to our Circles. They are a lot like an “orchestra conductor” – knowing when to push for deeper discussion, encouraging multiple perspectives, and making sure everyone is heard – all while ensuring the group stays focused on its goals and timelines.
Facilitators are also “operations managers” – responsible for making sure that the Circle runs smoothly. They take responsibility for managing the communication for meeting times, commitments and follow ups. And through our process, Facilitators respond to member needs by bringing in the appropriate speakers, experts, or resources into the meeting.
Plus, Facilitators have been “in your shoes” – they are business owners and past executives from all walks of life with a network to use for connecting others that is constantly growing and changing.
Most importantly, they are women who are passionate about helping other women grow and succeed in business, leadership and life by creating that unique Circle experience.
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Laura Cohen
FACILITATOR
Laura is a results-driven Business Growth Strategy Consultant and Executive Adviser, helping business owners scale their businesses, uncover new revenue streams, enhance brand visibility. With a strategic and creative approach, she connect businesses with the right opportunities, resources, and innovative ideas that lead to measurable growth.
Being involved in the BWC community as a BWC facilitator provides an avenue to support her passion for helping business owners and being a resource dedicated to connecting other's to opportunities.
Outside of her consulting practice, she dedicates time to serving on boards of organizations that champion causes that are meaningful. When not immersed in strategic planning or board meetings, you'll find her exploring the vibrant cultural landscape of the area and embracing meeting new people and experiences.
Owner of Laura Cohen Consulting
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Katie Kath
FACILITATOR & MARKETING
Katie Kath is the CEO and Creative Director for Jkath Design Build + Reinvent. Specializing in high end renovations with custom interiors while leaning on their cabinet shop to deliver beautifully crafted cabinetry for all their client work has created a niche market for their firm in the Midwest, with a waiting list for future work. Jkath is celebrating over 15 years in business, more than 100 completed renovation projects with a niche in historic homes.
Katie aligns herself with fellow women owned businesses in the Twin Cities community as a facilitator for The Business Women's Circle, and a 10+ year member of the Women’s President Organization. These organizations create a space that connects, builds communities, and creates experiences for women to grow. Katie is a mom to three, married to her business partner, and loves to travel to the Oregon Coast annually, a long time knitter and avid cook for her family.
Partner and Creative Director of Jkath Design Build + Reinvent
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Ann Knuttila
FACILITATOR
Ann is a Strategic Growth Consultant with over a decade of experience helping small businesses craft and execute growth strategies that align with their vision and values.
Known as a business coach, accountability partner, and trusted confidante, Ann brings a grounded, personal approach to every client relationship. Becoming a BWC facilitator felt like a natural evolution—BWC offers her a space to focus on her own business while connecting with a powerful community of like-minded women.
When she's not deep in strategy sessions, you'll likely find Ann outdoors with her family, nose in a book, or walking her two dogs. She's passionate about simplifying life and finding calm in the chaos.
Owner of Knuttila Consulting
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Melissa Lonsky
FACILITATOR
Melissa Lonsky is the visionary founder of Sora Pediatric Therapy, which she started in 2004. She built the practice from a team of just two therapists to a thriving organization with 100 staff members across five locations, before it was acquired by a national firm in 2023.
As a BWC member in 2016 and 2017, Melissa experienced the power of this community firsthand. Now, she's excited to facilitate, focusing on her own continued growth while connecting with a powerful group of like-minded women. Melissa truly believes in the strength of women supporting each other in business—sharing experiences, lifting one another up, and navigating those unique entrepreneurial challenges together. Having found immense value in these connections herself, she's passionate about helping others discover that same sense of community and growth.
When she's not immersed in the world of business, you'll find Melissa enjoying time outdoors with her husband and two children, whether they're wakesurfing, golfing, or cross-country skiing.
Founder - Partner - Managing Director of Sora Pediatric Therapy
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Morgan Molitor
FACILITATOR
Morgan Molitor is the co-founder of construction2style, a design-build and creative studio based in Minnesota, which she runs alongside her husband. She’s also the co-founder of Neon Lion Media, a digital marketing agency helping home industry pros grow their brands online. A natural storyteller and visionary, Morgan leads a team of ten and manages 15–18 home renovation and new build projects at any given time — all while creating content, building community, and mentoring others.
She’s the force behind two national events in the housing industry: the Contractor Coalition Summit and BuildHer Retreat, both designed to educate, empower, and connect leaders in the space.
Morgan is part of The BWC because seeing others succeed is her jam. She believes in sharing the real behind the highlight reel, growing through collaboration, and curating spaces - both physical and digital - that reflect who we are and what we value most.
Creative Director of construction2style
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Sarah Pike
FACILITATOR
Sarah has spent over 25 years at the intersection of business, economic, and community development. Her career has included everything from redevelopment planning, co-op development and grant writing to nonprofit leadership, small business lending, and building education programs for entrepreneurs.
In 2022, she made a career pivot—joining the BWC team as a facilitator and launching a creative maker business that turns life’s milestones into joyful, tangible countdown calendars.
As a BWC facilitator, Sarah loves the opportunity to support women business owners find clarity and confidence in the messiness of entrepreneurship.
Sarah also fills her days with a myriad of outdoor activities with family and friends, frolicking through nature with her dogs, youth sports spectating, and endless attempts at roasting vegetables so they are not soggy or burnt…it shouldn’t be this hard.
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Melissa Telsrow
FACILITATOR
Melissa Telsrow is an accomplished marketing strategist and founder of Hiper, a digital marketing agency specializing in multi-location marketing for national brands and nonprofits. With over 20 years of experience, Melissa partners with CMOs across the country to navigate the complexities of local digital strategy and deliver measurable results at scale.
She is also a dedicated speaker and mentor to emerging marketing professionals, known for her innovative, human-centered approach. Melissa has served as a BWC facilitator for the past four years and continues to be inspired by the talent and connections this community fosters.
Outside of work, she enjoys Minnesota’s lakes with her husband and three children.
President and Co-founder of Hiper
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Heather Tibbles-Vassilev
FACILITATOR
With 25+ years in medical device and drug development, Heather knows leadership inside and out—from the lab to the boardroom. As an Executive Coach & Facilitator, she helps leaders and teams navigate change, tackle tough decisions, and turn uncertainty into opportunity with evidence-based strategies.
Her hands-on approach blends research-backed frameworks like strategic thinking, decision science, and resilience-building, empowering others to lead with confidence. Whether guiding teams through transitions or fostering a culture of growth, Heather delivers practical, scalable solutions rooted in behavioral science and leadership best practices.
Beyond work, she finds joy in her native plant garden, handbell choir, and long forest walks with her husband and dog.
Owner of HTV LLC : Executive Coaching & Facilitation
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Erin Werde
FACILITATOR
Erin Werde has been a dedicated facilitator with BWC for nearly a decade. Her commitment stems from a belief in the unique magic BWC fosters within its Circles.
As a business owner herself, Erin knows firsthand that success doesn't happen in isolation—it takes a village. She values the power of having trusted peers to celebrate the wins and provide support through the inevitable challenges.
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Jane Zilch
FACILITATOR
Jane consults with women-owned businesses and non-profit organizations to help them move from where they are today to where they want to be, with an emphasis on improving financial efficiency and performance. She provides customized financial analysis and consulting to help clients implement meaningful financial management processes, make sound decisions for the future of their organizations and improve outcomes. Known for her objectivity, candor and practical approach, Jane is also an accomplished public speaker and presenter.
She is a champion for improving the financial effectiveness and security of women leaders who align their actions with their values -- and being a BWC facilitator lets her fulfill this purpose while connecting with a powerful network of women committed to supporting each other.
She's passionate about the arts, especially the theater, with more than 30 years of non-profit board leadership as well as the occasional stint as an actor/storyteller. She's wild about mah jongg, literature, her family and friends, and her dog Guthrie -- though not necessarily in that order!
Principal of Jane E Zilch Consulting
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