Lysa Miller: Women Supporting Women
- Jill Stoodley
- Sep 9
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 11
While it might come as a surprise to those who do business with her, Lysa Miller isn't an extrovert by nature. A whirlwind of energy who both wears her heart on her sleeve and seems slightly guarded in the same breath, she immediately falls into a vibe like you've known her for years the very first time you meet her. But taking chances and letting people in have been an effort, a choice. And those choices have paid off over time.
From running an award-winning media agency and creating a business network for thousands of local women, to chance encounters with the likes of Joni Mitchell and The Eagles, her successes have come because she opened herself up to connection, to helping others.
I first met Lysa Miller through the MetroWest Women’s Network Facebook group. At the time, I didn't know she was the founder and co-president of the group. I had no idea her media agency had just won a 2025 Boston Business Women Award or that they'd been named to the prestigious Clutch 1000 list for the sixth consecutive year.
What I did know was that Lysa was one of the first encouraging human voices I heard in the early days of reinventing my career.
After the humbling onset of a stress-related illness, I had recently stepped back from my 17-year corporate role, shifting to contract work three days a week while building my own business from scratch. I suddenly had no roadmap — only an urgent need to try something new, something that felt more like me. The rollercoaster of emotions had been overwhelming and the isolation of being stuck in my own head for months was really getting to me. I joined the MetroWest Women's Network on a whim while preparing to launch my website in January.
Lysa commented on my first post.
A simple welcome. An offer to connect.
It sounds insignificant, but after weeks of posting aimlessly to the infinite void of algorithms and empty space, her comment and her friend requests were enough to keep me in it. It was so refreshing to see women empowering and encouraging each other.
And, as it turns out, finding the network was yet another seemingly random step on the paths I've stumbled across this year — roads that have collectively led me to a world of connectivity and color.
Lysa founded the MetroWest Women’s Network in 2016 after relocating to Hudson, Massachusetts post-divorce. A mother of four and a longtime women's event organizer, she wanted to build a new community — one that reflected the version of herself that was starting over. What began as a casual venture to make new friends and help working moms has since grown into a vibrant group of over 4,500 women — an “ambitious, fearless” community supporting each other through business, referrals, and personal transformation. With dynamic events and an interactive Facebook group that allows women to promote their businesses and build relationships, the network fills a deep need for education, connection, and diversity, nurturing unique friendships and support for one another.
Can't Wait to Join the MetroWest Women's Network? Here's All You Need to Know!
A fantastic FREE resource for women of all ages and backgrounds, the MetroWest Women's Network and its Facebook group host unique events, including: Pop-Up Yoga for a Cause, Friendsgiving and Flatbreads, Celebrating Women Luncheons for Women's History Month, Business in Bloom Spring Networking, Galentine's Day Wine & Cheese Tasting, and much more.
MetroWest Women's Network
The Landing at Hudson Mills
43 Broad Street A407
Hudson, MA 01749
metrowestwomensnetwork@gmail.com
Sponsored by Ladybugz Interactive Agency
"That was the big thing with the Women's Network," she said, "I wanted to create a space, almost like Business Network International (BNI) for women in the MetroWest area — where, as women we can support each other by growing our businesses ... something to help people locally, especially service-based businesses."
Lysa's early career had begun with freelancing gigs and hosting networking events in her home, working with local chambers of commerce. She never set out to run her own agency — but years later, Ladybugz Interactive is a media force, and Lysa has become a sought-after voice in women’s leadership, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship.
What sets her apart — and what struck me immediately on my first glance at her social media the night I first posted in the group — is how she builds everything around one primary goal: life should be good, everyone deserves to live their best life.
Through Ladybugz, she built an empire of seasoned expert freelancers who control their own schedules and workload. She champions mothers, creatives, and anyone looking to make a living on their own terms by creating an environment that supports women running their own businesses. Here, working mothers don't have to choose between their jobs and taking their babies to the doctor.
"Freelancing gave me a gift, the perfect balance — the ability to keep up my talents, but stay home and still raise four kids. I want to give that gift to other women.”
Expand to Learn More About Ladybugz Interactive Agency
We're a funky co-op of Boston-based web designers and digital marketers, a website design company, that is so much more. Our team leaders know success, and are well-seasoned industry experts with many years of experience in their relevant fields. We are also a diverse team whose skills include web design, web development, brand design, SEO, content marketing, social media strategy, videography, photography and PR. We’re here to help you build a brand that gets easily found, recognized and speaks to your audience. We want to exceed your goals and expectations.
Our niche is go-to-market websites for startup, early-growth and fast growing companies. Our expertise lies in biotechnology, healthcare, education, non-profit, women + minority owned and locally expanding organizations.
Since its inception during the pandemic in 2020, Ladybugz has won countless awards including the following for 2025: #1 Women-Owned Creative Agency in the US by Clutch.co, #1 on Manifest's List of Top Women-Owned Creative Agencies, Best of Small Business Awards' Top 100 Small Businesses List, Agency Spotter’s List of the Best Web Design Agencies in the U.S., and many more.
Ladybugz Interactive Agency
The Landing at Hudson Mills
43 Broad Street A407
Hudson, MA 01749
(781) 406-4013
It’s not just about logistics; it’s a philosophy of giving. When I asked Lysa what she wishes more women would talk about, she didn’t hesitate...
Help — both asking for it, and offering it to each other with no expectation of return.
"Even though people look like they have it all, they don't. Nobody has it all. You could be the richest person in the world, have the happiest marriage in the world but you could lose a parent or lose a friend and need something more," she said, acknowledging how uncomfortable asking for help can feel. "Be open to accepting it, because you deserve help too."
Whether it’s sharing a lead, buying someone’s groceries, or helping out by babysitting, Lysa's hope for women is to share themselves without expecting anything in return. "Instead of asking for something, ask what you can give, with no benefit to yourself. Give without expectation — that's the biggest gift you can get, knowing that you've helped someone, and you made their day better, you made their life brighter. I think that is the way we can change the world."
The Secret to Lysa's Success? Genuine Connection
Despite working with major biotech clients and high-growth startups in other agencies over the years, Lysa makes it clear that when she broke out on her own to form Ladybugz in 2020, her clients didn’t find her through biotech search engine optimization — instead, it was the women who knew her and wanted to work specifically with her who followed her along to her new venture.
Because they also belonged to the MetroWest Women's Network, her clients got to know her in a different way; it gave them a different perspective of who she was. "People feel like they know you — they're always going to hire people they know versus people they don't know, so having a group like that allows them to get to know you on a different level, they feel like they personally know you."
Lysa's last three biotech clients have all been women CEOs. And they also came to her through the network.
"Over the past five years, I've been seeing a lot more women rising up," she said. "And they want to work with other women who are rising up, and that's pretty cool. We're here to raise each other up in so many ways."
Moments That Matter
By the time I met Lysa in person for this article nearly six months later, I'd begun reclaiming a version of myself I hadn’t seen since my 20s — the editor, the storyteller, the creative. What began as launching a business quickly grew into rediscovering connection: to people and their stories, to music and meaning.
Lysa's stories reminded me how the most incredible connection often arises from the most unexpected interactions — if you’re open to it. I asked her to tell me about a moment of kindness from a stranger. Her answer was not at all what I expected: Joni Mitchell.
Years ago, while eating at the famous Alice Fazooli's in Toronto, Lysa's friends spotted the iconic singer — Lysa's life-long idol — at a table behind them. When Lysa was too shy and unassuming to approach, her friends ran to her car to grab her favorite CD of Joni Mitchell’s Hits and not so gently encouraged her to greet the famous folk singer.
To Lysa's utter shock, Mitchell was incredibly friendly. Bonding over the fact that both Lysa and Mitchell's daughter were "the same pregnant," Mitchell happily exclaimed, "You're gonna have dessert with us, right?" Though Lysa politely declined so she wouldn't interfere with the singer's plans, Mitchell dedicated her autograph to Lysa's unborn child, signing the CD: “Welcome, new baby."
“It wasn’t just about the autograph," said Lysa, "I was a stranger but she was so kind and interested. I often wonder if she and her daughter remember.”
Another day, another chance encounter — this time with a member of The Eagles at baggage claim. After attending the band's concert with her friend the night before, Lysa randomly complimented a stranger on his Eagles jacket while they were both grabbing their luggage at Logan Airport. When she asked if he loved the show, she had no idea he was the band's percussionist! If she'd held back on putting herself out there, if she hadn't made the simple effort to just be friendly, she would have missed out on an amazing selfie with Scott Crago and the opportunity to meet in person again at a future show!
These are the kinds of experiences, meaningful stories that don’t happen unless you're open, present. Unless you’re welcoming, approachable, willing to put yourself out there, even if it's not your first instinct.
The Ripple Effect of Real Support
As a new entrepreneur, it's brutally lonely to sit in self-doubt.
Being a part of women's networks was crucial to working my way through all the emotions and isolation associated with starting a new business and making a major life change. And every connection I've made so far, every risk I've taken to put myself out there, every time I've reached out to let a person know how much their business has meant to me and my family, it's resulted in a deeper personal connection far beyond my expectations.
Lysa's philosophy — the best way to do anything is without expectation, and things will come back to you in unexpected ways — has certainly rung true of my own life, especially these past few months since I began my blog. I've connected with women I’d never have crossed paths with in my former life, women with whom I've instantly formed deep connections. The help and support we’ve provided each other just through conversation, understanding, and feedback has been immeasurable.
“We can change the world,” she says, “if everyone just did one kind thing a day. It doesn’t have to be big. It could be picking up trash, buying a coffee, sending someone a lead. You don’t need recognition. The reward is the feeling, knowing you've helped someone.”
And she’s right.
That kind of giving doesn’t just build better businesses.
It builds better people.
The team she's built around her through her Ladybugz Agency and the MetroWest Women's Network are an incredible force, forged by incredible friendships. It speaks volumes about what we can accomplish when we work together.
The day I interviewed her, Lysa was in the midst of a heart-wrenching goodbye to one of her best friends whose life-long health battle quickly and unexpectedly escalated in her final few weeks.
Melissa "Lis" Rock served as the network's professional photographer for many years. Kindred adventurous spirits, she and Lysa clicked instantly. A brilliant artist and avid Ramones fan known for her fierce loyalty and endlessly giving spirit, Lis' health issues inhibited her from working a traditional job, so Lysa hired her for all the network's photography. She was able to regain a sense of community, purpose, empowerment. Lis was by Lysa's side for every event, every award, every celebratory moment for Lysa and her kids, and their connection quickly grew into deep, encompassing friendship.
"When you're true friends with someone, there's nothing you need to say to them because everything's been said. We were a gift to each other, unwritten, unspoken."
Lysa's network, her agency, her team, and the powerful women she surrounds herself with all reflect the same belief...
We rise by lifting others.
See the MetroWest Women’s Network & Ladybugz for Yourself!
MetroWest Women's Network
Sponsored by Ladybugz Interactive Agency
The Landing at Hudson Mills
43 Broad Street A407
Hudson, MA 01749
(781) 406-4013
Check out these podcasts featuring Lysa Miller to hear her in action!
All photography in this article is by Lis Rock.
If you love this article, please check out my blog and follow me on Instagram for videos and additional content!
Jill Hodgson Stoodley
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