PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT | WORKSHOP
Essential Boundaries: The Key to Real Self-Care and Burnout Prevention
Self-care is often promoted as bubble baths and massages, but true self-care runs much deeper and involves making the tough decisions that align with our values. Embracing and practicing authentic self-care is vital—for your personal well-being and as a powerful model for your family, friends, and colleagues. In this session, psychiatrist Dr. Pooja Lakshmin will demonstrate how you can transform relationships, workplaces, and systems by providing a roadmap for setting boundaries and fostering a culture of burnout prevention. We will explore strategies to help you prioritize self-care to boost individual resilience, model the importance of health and balance, and create a culture that encourages others in your life to do the same. Learn how to implement small changes that will redefine success.
Speaker: Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, Psychiatrist, best-selling Author, and Clinical Assistant Professor, George Washington University
JUSTICE, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING | WORKSHOP
Owning Your Authentic Career Voice
When you show up fully in the workplace, your career trajectory has no limits. How do you show up at work? Attend this session to create a deeper understanding of what makes you YOU and gain clarity around your core values and beliefs. Leadership expert and community architect Cyndie Spiegel will offer practical tools and no-nonsense strategies, to help you turn authenticity into your greatest asset, build a powerful sense of your personal and professional purpose, boost your relationships with your colleagues, and advance your career with confidence.
Speaker: Cyndie Spiegel, Author, Personal Leadership & Well-Being Expert
Host: Nellie Borrero, Senior Strategic Advisor, Global Inclusion & Diversity, Accenture
Executive Spotlight: Piya Sircar, US Franchise Head, Gastroenterology, Allergy & Rhinology, Sanofi
Tackling Menopause to Boost Your Career Progression
Menopause represents a pivotal phase in a woman’s life that can influence both personal well-being and professional performance. Taking charge of the impacts of menopause can help you navigate at work while experiencing symptoms such as brain fog, hormonal fluctuations and exhaustion, which affect not only how you react and are perceived by others but can directly affect career progression. In this session, renowned expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver, provides valuable tools and resources such as evidence-based lifestyle adjustments, medication options and self-advocacy techniques designed to help women manage symptoms and enhance their career progression. Tailored for women navigating menopause while striving to excel professionally, attendees will leave with actionable insights on how to not only survive but thrive during a crucial period that often coincides with peak career advancement.
Speaker: Dr. Mary Claire Haver, MD, FACOG, CMP & best-selling Author
Host: Valerie Wright, Director, Global DWIB People Talent & Retention, MilliporeSigma
Executive Spotlight: Julie Castro Abrams, Founder & Managing Partner, How Women Invest
Allyship: Accelerating Advancement For All
Twenty years ago, Rosalind Wiseman wrote a book about teen-girl dynamics, which became the basis for the cult-classic movie, Mean Girls. In her latest research, she has turned her lens on how women can leave behind the social conditioning from adolescence and instead nurture and support each other in the workplace and beyond – from the lunchroom to the boardroom. This session will explore how allyship can level the playing field and accelerate women’s advancement, allowing you and others to go further faster. Learn practical tools for seizing leadership moments, resetting challenging relationships with female coworkers, and collaborative ways to stop competing and instead foster a community of support based on celebrating and advocating for each other.
Speaker: Rosalind Wiseman, Author & Cultural Expert Inspiring Courageous Leadership in Others
Host and Executive Spotlight: Brooke Murray-Etnyre, VP Global Operations, NI/Emerson
Leading with Intention: Redefining Success for Yourself and Others
What does it mean to truly lead—yourself and others? In this session, discover how to move beyond the grind of workaholism and burnout to embrace a more intentional, fulfilling approach to leadership. Through candid stories of transformation, you’ll explore how redefining success, reclaiming the power of “no,” and fostering trust-based connections can create lasting impact. Learn how small, purposeful steps—whether in life, work, or even scaling Kilimanjaro—can lead to meaningful growth. This session will inspire you to lead with clarity, nurture authentic team collaboration, and build a culture where everyone feels valued, seen, and heard.
Speaker: Sheela Subramanian, Co-Founder, Future Forum, and best-selling Author
Host: Warner Santiago, Global Director, DE&I Learning, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Executive Spotlight: Maria Scott, Director, Operations, Chief Operations Office (Product & Engineering), Juniper
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT | WORKSHOP
Beyond Expectations: Break Free and Rediscover Yourself
We congratulate ourselves when we resist the office breakroom donut, celebrate our restraint when we avoid sending an angry email, and feel virtuous when we wake up at dawn to get a jump on the day. We often put others’ needs ahead of our own, believing it makes us exemplary. Like many women, journalist Elise Loehnen spent most of her life trying to be “good” by adhering to the cultural norms imposed on women. This session will explore how women have internalized and reinforced these ancient rules. By sharing her own story, Loehnen will reveal ways to break free, rediscover integrity, prioritize yourself, and achieve balance and wholeness.
Speaker: Elise Loehnen, New York Times best-selling Author & Host, Pulling the Thread
Host: Carol Lee Mitchell, Diverse Business Segments Executive, Bank of America
Executive Spotlight: Emily Waldorf, SVP, Consumer Products and Services, COMCAST
JUSTICE, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING | WORKSHOP
Belonging: How to be Engaged, Productive and Happier at Work
One of the most crucial factors influencing whether people stay or leave a job is the company’s culture and where they fit in. At the same time, there has been a shift for individuals where wellness, balance, and meaningful connections are top priorities beyond just the work itself. So how do you navigate all of this with so many unpredictable variables and when feeling and emotion are at play? In this session, Belonging expert Denise Soler Cox will explore success beyond job scope and tangible shifts to achieve a fulfilling work experience where everyone feels like they belong. Learn strategies to navigate complicated dynamics that can negatively impact your performance and satisfaction. Attendees will leave empowered, inspired and armed with practical tips to find a sense of belonging that ultimately leaves you engaged, productive and happier at work.
Speaker: Denise Soler Cox, Filmmaker, Author; Founder, High Quality Human
Host: Andrea Robertson, Managing Director, United Airlines
Executive Spotlight: Mandy Scipione, Head, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Fidelity Investments
JUSTICE, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING | WORKSHOP
Unlocking Success: The Transformative Power of Compassion in the Workplace
Forging connections and common ground with colleagues in today’s divisive landscape is complicated, and they are key in your ability to problem solve and achieve business goals. In this session, inclusion strategist and cultural innovator Vernā Myers will explore the importance of compassion and offer tools to help you become a bridge builder in this new world of work even when you have differing viewpoints. Learn how kind discourse and compassion can increase connectedness, enhance teamwork, productivity and engagement and transform your culture. Whether you are an individual contributor seeking ways to increase your effectiveness or a leader managing teams, this session will offer inspiration and practical tips to help you and your organization thrive.
Speaker: Vernā Myers, DEI Pioneer and Inclusion Strategist
Host and Executive Spotlight: Fereshtah Thornberg, EVP & Head, Sales and Client Management North America, State Street Corporation
Negotiate What You Need For Career Success
Advocating for yourself, whether you’re seeking a promotion, a raise, or new opportunities, is difficult. In this session, Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, PhD, will provide the essential strategies for negotiating career success. She will share insights to help you understand your value, prepare for negotiations, and leverage techniques to achieve your goals. Discover how to overcome common barriers, build confidence, and communicate persuasively to ensure your career growth. With real-world examples and actionable advice, this session will equip you with the tools to successfully navigate professional negotiations.
Speaker: Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, PhD, James L. Vincent Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
Host: Robin Carney-Britt, Senior Consulting Sales Director, Oracle
Practical Optimism: How to Create a Healthier Relationship with Work
In a world where digital connection is constant, work/life boundaries are blurred and employer expectations are off the charts, Dr. Sue Varma offers tools to reframe your mindset to identify and recalibrate areas of balance and create an ongoing positive outlook. In this session, Dr. Varma will demonstrate how this strategy can be applied to have a healthier relationship with work. She will share her eight pillars to create a work-life balance filled with joy and purpose for a more successful and fulfilling career.
Speaker: Sue Varma, MD, board-certified Psychiatrist & Author, Practical Optimism
Host: Dr. Mecide Gharibo, VP, US Medical Affairs, Hematology & Oncology, Bristol Myers Squibb