In the era of information explosion, why has "understanding" become the most powerful force? The 9th Global Women's Impact Forum brought together 350 participants to discuss AI, the workplace, and sustainability with 9 empathetic speakers, including Jiang Yaqi, Janet, and Chen Meiling. Wondering how to turn setbacks into motivation? This article summarizes the highlights of the 2026 GWIS speech, inviting you to recalibrate your life coordinates in empathy.
On International Women's Day on March 8, 2026, the 9th Global Women's Impact Forum (GWIS) was grandly launched.
In the midst of the rapid change of information waves, this year's forum is titled "The Age of Empathy" and declares that "Understanding is the new power".
This annual event, which brings together more than 350 audiences, revolves around the three core areas of "AI Empowerment," "Sustainable Society," and "Women's Careers," inviting a number of cross-disciplinary speakers to take turns to share how they have forged the power to break through barriers in the face of adversity and confusion.
This article will take you directly to the shocking highlight speeches of the speakers in this empathetic event.
Picture|2026 Global Women's Impact Forum
Jiang Yaqi: Fearless imperfection, don't let fear sit in the driver's seat
Jiang Yaqi, the first million-selling author to appear, from anchor, founder of Studio A to curator of 500 plates, her seemingly smooth slash resume is actually full of setbacks.
She revealed that she had been asked to leave when she was looking for a job, and her manuscript was thrown into a trash can with chewing gum stuck on it, but she bluntly said: "Inexperience is the biggest advantage." Faced with an unfamiliar field, she put down her body and asked without shame, "If you don't know, ask, it's yours."
Jiang Yaqi also shared how she trains her spiritual muscles and faces the adversity of life after the death of a loved one, and she encouraged the audience to pay attention to "what you have" and turn setbacks into strong resilience.
(Additional screening at the same venue: Interview with Jiang Yaqi: Launched the public welfare "Warm Kitchen Flavor", because of the loss, so I know how to pay more)
Picture|Million-selling author, entrepreneur, and cross-border curator Jiang Yaqi
All your past life setbacks will become your strongest resilience for your future life.
Tanya: Uncover the "invisible tax" in the workplace and see the real needs of women
Women's fans have been promoting women's surveys for many years, using data insights to see the real situation of contemporary women, and this year they revealed the important findings of the "2026 Taiwan Women's Workplace In-depth Insight Report" at the forum.
Tanya, co-founder of Women's Fan, pointed out that this questionnaire, which was filled out by up to 600 people, revealed the technological anxiety of contemporary women in the AI era, even if they use AI every day, they still feel powerless and worried about being replaced.
In the face of the "imposter syndrome in the AI era", Tanya also encouraged the audience: "In fact, you are born with abilities that AI does not have." He also shared his life experience as a co-founder: "If you want to keep moving forward, you never have to wait until you are ready."
Picture|Tanya is the co-founder of Women's Fan
Being seen by the world is what we deserve to have. Everyone's uniqueness and everyone's beauty deserve to be seen.
Chen Meiling: Common good business starting from the local area requires warmth for sustainability
Continuing from the Taiwan Women's Insight Report, Chen Meiling, chairman of the Taiwan Regional Revitalization Foundation, took a look at the whole of Taiwan and talked about the demographic crisis.
Chen Meiling pointed out that Taiwan has been facing a population decline since 2020, and the problem of aging is the largest in the world. The gap in human resources not only affects national competitiveness, but also affects the country's future "national security issues". She also pointed out that in the face of the irreversible trend of population decline, how to "keep people" is an important issue, which is why she chose "local revitalization" as her ambition in the second half of her life.
Starting from international indicators, Chen Meiling advocated that policies and ESG must have temperature, not cold numbers. She emphasized that local revitalization is co-creation by the whole people, and only by empathizing with the people can social engineering have its meaning and go further.
(Additional screening: Interview with Chen Meiling: When the world is pushed forward by data, your "empathy" is still the destination of your heart)
Picture|Taiwan Regional Revitalization Foundation Chairman Chen Meiling
Sustainability doesn't have to be fast, but we have to go for a long time; Only empathy can make a group of people go further.
Gu Lun Wei: When AI meets empathy, it regains its inner strength in the torrent of technology
In response to the report mentioning that 44.4% of women are worried about the reliability of AI information, Academia Sinica researcher Gu Lunwei invited everyone to start from "empathy" and "insensitivity".
Gu Weilun pointed out that AI is good at "pleasing people", but human empathy is that it can read deep emotions and needs, and instead of worrying about competition, it is better to "do good" with AI. In the face of the torrent of technology and emotions, she suggested that everyone develop "healthy insensitivity" and turn anxiety into action, because inner strength is equivalent to our knowledge and literacy of AI.
(Additional screening at the same venue: Afraid of being replaced by AI? Professor Gu Lunwei, a researcher at Academia Sinica, said: You are born with abilities that AI does not have)
Picture|Academia Sinica researcher Gu Lunwei
When everyone has "empathy" and "insensitivity" in the AI era, they can move forward steadily together.
Guo Fuzhi Merci: Let AI be a shortcut to achieve what you want
Continuing the topic of AI, Merci, Chief Operating Officer of Women's Fan, shared how the team overcame technological anxiety. She believes that in the face of the AI wave, the focus is not on the selection of tools, but on "continuous learning thinking".
Merci started from her own experience as a team leader and shared how she created a team learning scenario through a continuous learning mindset. She pointed out that to create a shared environment, teams must be able to allow failure, or even "appreciate failure", and when teams can learn from their mistakes and experiment with a mentality, they can truly witness the value of AI empowerment - as long as they are willing to try, this is an era full of possibilities.
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Willingness determines your starting point, and thinking determines your endurance, the focus is not on what tools you use, but on the AI mindset that never stops learning.
Christine: A perfect aluminum process about "common good"
Junni Zhang, Director of Nespresso Taiwan Business Unit, reflected on the setbacks and growth in her 20-year career and shared her leadership philosophy of "becoming a light".
After graduation, he has been pursuing his ideal job, and once wanted to challenge his dream of becoming a professor, but finally chose to return to the workplace but was not valued because of his cross-border identity. At this moment of extreme frustration, Zhang Junni chose an uneven path that everyone did not want to take, and also ushered in an important turning point in her life.
Joining Nespresso, Zhang Junni adheres to the leadership philosophy of applying to the right people, emphasizing that she "does not require everyone to become an all-rounder, but allows everyone to use their talents and work together for the growth of the team." She emphasized that leadership is about putting people in the right position and connecting different generations with empathy.
Picture|Nespresso Taiwan Business Department Director Zhang Junni
Leaders should be like a light to illuminate the talents of others.
Sandy: Practicing the Art of Hospitality in Communication
Zhang Junni allows herself to illuminate the team, and Wei Xingyi, the founder of Feihua Luoyuan, creates a deep connection between people through the spirit of hospitality.
Whether it's stopping work for three months to wait for the swallows to hatch, or carrying her grandmother in a wheelchair to the second floor for dinner, she proves with her actions: the art of hospitality is to see the needs of the other person early.
Wei Xingyi also emotionally reminded the audience that "achievements are not stacked achievements", and called on everyone not to forget to affirm themselves and learn to treat themselves first before they have the ability to entertain the world.
(Additional screening at the same venue: Wei Xingyi's leadership philosophy: The "master spirit" of flying flowers and falling into the courtyard, let the axis return to himself)
Picture|Founder of Feihua Falling Courtyard Wei Xingyi
If one day we start treating ourselves, we will have the ability to entertain the world.
Janet: Vulnerability is proof of real life
Janet, who crossed the sea from the United States and returned to Taiwan, infected the audience with her signature energy as soon as she took the stage, breaking the norm and inviting more than 300 spectators to stand up and walk around to experience the communication and feelings with strangers. Through this warm-up interaction, Janet wants to say, "Our attitude is not only contagious to others, but also to ourselves."
Unlike the well-known lively and cheerful image, Janet admitted that she has also faced fragility in her career, and she may have questioned herself for a negative review, and she has also catered to extreme weight standards and fallen into a pathological eating cycle.
Through those heartbreak years, Janet redefined success for herself. She encourages everyone to accept the stagnation period in life and, more importantly, focus on the specific actions you can take every day.
Picture|Actor and host Xie Yifen Janet
The most important role of the finish line is to take you to the starting line and take the first step towards success.
Zhang Weixuan: Use AI technology to break policy biases and see real needs outside of childbirth
At the end of the forum, Zhang Weixuan, co-founder and CEO of Women's Fans, announced the "Taiwan Women's Resource Connect" platform developed by the Women's Fans team using Cloud Code and AI technology. This tool brings together women's policies and subsidies from major cities across Taiwan, aiming to break the information gap and make resources truly "accessible".
Zhang Weixuan also earnestly revealed the cruel discovery behind the development: when decision-makers lack "empathy" with women, policies are prone to unconscious bias. She pointed out that most current policies are still highly limited to "fertility" subsidies, but there is a relative lack of exclusive support for women's "entrepreneurship" and "career development".
Finally, Zhang Weixuan called on the audience to "unite to find problems and change them", and this commitment also left the most firm action footnote for the 9th Global Women's Impact Forum.
Picture|Women's Fan Co-founder and CEO Zhang Weixuan
Your pain has hurt me, and I am pursuing your desire. We must come together to identify problems and change them.
Women's fans always believe that one person goes fast, and a group of people go far. Behind the success of this event, we would like to thank our supporting partners, Taipei Shengyao Social Charity Foundation, as well as many responding partners: Unilever, Bailan, Green Vine Vitality, JOY COLORi, Jingxin Biomedical AQUA C. Hua Yangxi, ANEM, Natural Health Center, Proportional College, HHcom, Achievement Marketing, and Jingwei Advertising Technology.
The 9th GWIS Global Women's Impact Forum 2026 concluded perfectly. In empathy, we see each other and recalibrate the coordinates of life. With this warmth and strength, we will meet again next year!