LEARNING STAGE | WELLNESS SESSION
Why Sleep Matters
Sleep isn’t just a luxury—it’s the key to better health, focus, and recovery. Yet, 1 in 3 Americans struggle to get enough. Join Dr. Rachelle Reed, exercise physiologist and Therabody’s Head of Scientific Research, to uncover the transformative impact of quality sleep on your mental and physical well-being. Discover the innovative SleepMask, proven to enhance rest, and learn three simple, science-backed tips to improve your sleep starting tonight. Whether it’s boosting energy, reducing stress, or feeling your best, this session will inspire small changes that lead to big health benefits.
Speaker: Dr. Rachelle Reed, Head, Scientific Research & Science Communication, Therabody
LEARNING STAGE | CAREER SESSION
Making a Career Pivot
A career pivot is more than just changing job titles—it’s a strategic opportunity for personal growth, professional renewal, and redefining your career path. In this insightful session, Carolina DiGiorgio will guide you through the essential steps to successfully navigate career transitions. Learn how to evaluate and align your core values with your next career move, effectively leverage your network for support and opportunities, and commit to continuous learning to remain agile in a constantly evolving job market. Carolina will also share practical tips on how to stay open to new possibilities, helping you embrace the unknown and turn your career pivot into a powerful step forward.
Speaker: Carolina DiGiorgio, VP, Governmental & External Affairs, PECO
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT | WORKSHOP
Eliminating Toxic Productivity
For decades, societal pressures have had us scrambling to do more, achieve more, overcome more – all with the promise that we’ll feel accomplished, fulfilled, worthy . . . even happy. But it comes at a price: our mental and physical health. In a world obsessed with getting more done, Israa Nasir will dismantle the hustle culture myth and offer us research-backed insight on the patterns and dynamics that keep us always busy but never satisfied. This session will help you recognize the emotional patterns that drive toxic productivity habits and cultivate a healthier perspective on achievement. Join this session to untangle yourself from the web of toxic productivity and embark on a transformative journey to reclaim your time, energy, and joy.
Speaker: Israa Nasir, Psychotherapist; Founder, Wellguide
Host: Allison Montgomery, VP, Environmental Health & Safety, Applied Materials
Executive Spotlight: Erin Colgan, SVP, Corporate Finance, Flagship Pioneering
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
Host: Celeste Headlee, Host, Women Amplified podcast, award-winning Journalist & Author, Speaking of Race
Executive Spotlight: Monisha Dabek, SVP and Chief Commercial Officer, USA, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. and MA CFW Board Member
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
JUSTICE, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING | WORKSHOP
Speaking Up Impactfully…Without Risking Your Reputation
Have you been in a meeting and disagreed with a colleague but stayed silent? Have you personally experienced or been a bystander to disparaging comments? The ability to speak up can be complicated, especially in the workplace. Yet your silence can have lasting negative impacts on your ability to drive positive change for yourself and others. In this session, inclusion strategist and bestselling author Amber Cabral will offer a mix of communications tactics that arm you with the skills and language to speak up impactfully and with confidence. Walk away with the tools to advocate effectively, gain respect in the workplace and accelerate your career.
Speaker: Amber Cabral, Founder, Cabral Co, Inclusion Strategist and Author, Say More About That
Host: Marian Heard, President & CEO, Oxen Hill Partners and Board Vice Chair, MA Conference for Women
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT | WORKSHOP
Transform & Glow: Mastering the Art of Self-Healing
In the current, frenetic climate, self-care is more essential than ever, but few of us have the tool kit necessary to nurture ourselves. Stripped of her job and grappling with resurfaced traumas during the pandemic, Tara Schuster faced a reckoning that led to radical self-healing. Sharing her time-tested strategies, Tara will address the root causes of anxiety and how to navigate through trauma to move beyond feeling emotionally drained and directionless and find a purpose greater than yourself. This workshop offers access to the self-care superpowers needed to reclaim your authentic self and reignite your inner light. Prepare to be empowered and come ready to glow!
Speaker: Tara Schuster, best-selling Author, Former VP, Client Development, Comedy Central
Host: Kajal Gupta, Small Business Strategy & Initiatives Executive, Bank of America