Schedule & Sessions

Kelly Sue DeConnick — Superheroes, Art, and Visible Women — Our culture is constructed to set women against each other—to pretend as though we are all competing for a single seat at the table,” says Kelly Sue. “And that’s just not the case.” In this provocative keynote, Kelly Sue shares exactly why it’s so powerful to see someone on screen who’s a little more like you. She reveals why she created the hashtag #VisibleWomen, opens up about being a vocal feminist in the age of social media, and describes how Captain Marvel has inspired a whole new generation of girls.

Stay in touch with Kelly Sue.

Dr. Sheree Bryant Sekou — What a Difference a Change Makes: Beginning Again — This session is designed for women of all phases of their careers who are interested in creating and sustaining positive change. Facilitator will lead a transformational conversation designed to elevate awareness and explore change for what it really is: an opportunity to begin again. Participants will be guided to examine their personal capacity, ability and nature and how these factors impact leadership effectiveness and their ability to successfully navigate change.

Michelle Hynes — Navigating Work-Life Fit in Midlife and Beyond — Books, blogs, and more advise women on how we can plan for retirement. But few of us can afford, or even want, two decades of leisure. So as we move through midlife, many of us are asking ourselves how to plan for a longer and different stage of work. How might your mid- and late- life career look different than earlier stages? How can you create a work-life fit that enables you to take care of yourself and others as you age? This workshop will offer tools and resources to explore a vision for your “legacy” or your “encore” years of your career.

Joy Taylor — Intuition at Work: The Ultimate Leverage for Navigating the Great Unknown — Intuition is nothing new. Everyone is born with it. Not everyone uses it. Do you? Ancient wisdom, neuroscience, and modern research have discovered the profound results of developing gut instincts and a sixth sense in order to be a better leader. An essential tool for innovation and decision making, intuition results in creativity, productivity, and grace. Understand what blocks intuition and how to access it. Learn how to combine experience, data points, and intuition for professional clarity. Develop your leadership skills in the invisible art of intuition.

Kate Ingram — Change and the Soul: The Transformative Power of Flow — Change can be thrilling—getting married, buying your first house, a new baby— but it can also be challenging; aging, illness, disability, and loss are all changes that profoundly affect body, mind and spirit. How do you embrace change when it’s painful? In this talk we will explore exactly why change is so hard, even when it’s good. You’ll learn the four ways of meeting change (and why only one of them works), and you’ll discover specific techniques for embracing change that will not only help you through difficult transitions, but will take you to a new level of peace, happiness and abundance.

Erin O’Kelley Muck — Taking the Leap Into Entrepreneurship  — Have you ever had a great business idea, but wondered what steps to take next? Do you dream of starting your own business? This session will explore topics such as – what are the ingredients that make a great entrepreneur? What are some of the steps that should be taken at the onset? (Business plan; mission, vision, and values; competitor and target market research.) In addition to your role as the entrepreneur, will you also be the manager, and technician? How will you balance it all? And ultimately – how do you take the leap – finding courage and trusting in yourself?

Support Article for Attendees: Women Entrepreneurs

Elizabeth Miner — Empowered Women In A Changing World — When women feel safe and empowered, they are stronger leaders, better workers and more creative innovators. This workshop is an opportunity to build empowerment by focusing on skills to create subtle and bold boundaries, promote awareness and practice situational responses in a safe space. The workplace is different for women and we cannot ignore this, we must skillfully navigate it. Attendees leave this workshop with tools to use in their everyday lives empowering them to create safe spaces and contribute to their fullest in all environments.

Diahana Barnes — Leading Change: Strategic Communications as a Feminine Leader — Diahana is an award-winning Trainer, Speaker, Success Strategist, and Executive Coach with over 23 years of experience. Mom, former corporate woman, and entrepreneur she built her successful coaching and consulting business after leaving a demanding corporate job leading $40 Million dollar sales teams, client services and running marketing campaigns. She’s worked with Fortune 500 executives on their strategic communications, keynotes. She has been personally trained by their executive coaches and spoken on stages with audience sizes ranging from 25 to 500.

Cynthia Scherr — Catching Courage — You may have heard the phrase “courage is contagious” from the research and writing of Brené Brown. But if courage is contagious, how do we catch it? As a thought partner and executive coach to leaders over the last 25 years, I often wished I could give a fast-acting dose of courage to my clients (or myself). The good news is that courage building skills can be learned. This workshop will draw upon the research of Brené Brown as well as my own experience working with leaders to look at the elements of courage and how we cultivate more grounded confidence and brave action in our lives.

Cultural leaders are discussing who we have to become after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nataki Garrett will be speaking to her role in the creation of the new modes of living in Ashland, OR, at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and for the American Theatre.