Some events you attend for recognition. Others remind you why the work matters most.

Tuesday's Orange County Business Journal 31st Annual Women in Business Awards wasn't just another industry gathering. Tiffany Aguinaldo and Ava Kendrena represented Forge at the Irvine Marriott, where seven exceptional women were honored for breaking barriers across Orange County's business community.

Beyond the Nomination

Tiffany's nomination for this year's Women in Business Awards brought us to the table. But what we took away went far deeper than any award could capture.

The room was filled with Orange County's most inspirational and impactful women—leaders who've built something meaningful, who've pushed boundaries, who've refused to accept limits on what's possible. The energy wasn't just celebratory. It was magnetic.

Annette Walker, President of City of Hope Orange County, delivered the kind of keynote that doesn't just inform—it transforms. Her message cut straight through: women forge their own path to success through resilience and unwavering focus on the work that means most to them.

That truth isn't new to us at Forge. It's already engraved in our culture. But hearing it reinforced by someone leading one of Orange County's most vital institutions? That's the kind of validation that sharpens your purpose.

What We Brought Back

We left the Irvine Marriott energized, not because of what we accomplished, but because of what's still ahead. The women we met, the stories we heard, the example Annette Walker set—all of it reinforced what we already know: the best work comes from people who refuse to settle for good enough.