for a day of strategy, soul, & transformation

We’re not here for generic advice or surface-level tips. This inaugural conference is designed to move you from inspiration to implementation, with real strategies, raw conversations, results-driven content, and meaningful connections. Every session is crafted to equip you with the clarity, confidence, and community you need to lead differently, and thrive while doing it.

join us august 26, 2025

curated content that connects

Attendees get the opportunity to experience two dynamic learning tracks that is relevant, timely & maximizes growth:

Self Leadership & Team Leadership

Enjoy masterclasses, panel discussions, fireside chats and edutainment in one power packed day!

2025 Confirmed Speakers

Meet experts, leaders, executives and powerful speakers who have tried "traditional" leadership and career advancement methods only to find themselves unfulfilled, stagnant, exhausted and inauthentic. These industry disruptors didn't lean into the outdated standard, they rewrote it and found success when they redefined leadership on their terms. Now, they’re here to share the strategies, stories, and lessons learned that helped them rise with purpose, power, strategy, and authenticity.

power packed Agenda:

Stay tuned for updates, as more details are released!

8:30am - Registration Opens with Light Breakfast

9:00am - Conference Begins w/Opening Remarks from your host Shayla N. Atkins (CEO & Conference Curator)

Introducing Your MC, Moderator & Your Motivator: Schellie Fanfan

We’ll kick off the Leadership Redefined Conference with a powerful welcome and set the tone for an inspiring day of transformation. Join us as we introduce our Master of Ceremonies, Schellie Fanfan, a dynamic speaker, licensed mental health counselor, and energy catalyst who will guide us through the experience with purpose, passion, and authenticity.

Redefining Work Life Balance: An Integrative Approach to Success, Hormones & High Performance

Opening Wellness Keynote

We’ve been taught that high performance means pushing through, grinding harder, and ignoring the signals our bodies are sending. But what if that definition of success is the very thing holding us back? In this transformative opening keynote, Dr. Alicia Newsome, a renowned functional medicine doctor and integrative health expert, challenges us and invites us to rethink everything we’ve been taught about balance, burnout, and leadership effectiveness.

With science-backed insight and real-world application, Dr. Newsome will take us beyond surface-level solutions and into the root causes that affect our energy, focus, and ability to lead at a high level, especially for ambitious women navigating demanding careers. She goes beneath the symptoms of stress and exhaustion to uncover the deeper drivers: hormone imbalances, energy depletion, and nervous system overload that silently derail even the most capable leaders. This isn’t about self-care fluff. It’s about redefining leadership at the cellular level. This keynote will help you understand how your biology impacts your brilliance and offer a new blueprint for success: one rooted in alignment, vitality, and sustainable performance.

From Boss to Coach: Becoming the Kind of Leader People Choose to Follow

Impactful Masterclass

Today’s teams don’t want to be micro-managed; they want to be led and developed. In this session, Shawn Fair will delve into the mindset shift from being a task-driven boss to becoming a trust-building coach. You’ll uncover the five core attributes that separate leaders who merely give direction from those who inspire followership, growth, and high performance. If you’re ready to lead the whole person, motivate your team to perform better, and unlock what actually works in modern leadership, this session is for you.

Power on Your Terms: Influencing, Advocating, & Negotiating High Stakes With Confidence

Power Panel Discussion moderated by Schellie Fanfan

In this powerful panel discussion, industry-leading executives share the pivotal moments, mindset shifts, and hard-won lessons that helped them stop seeing themselves as just employees and start leading like a business. These trailblazing executives, Angela Cotie and Melissa Mack, will share how they’ve negotiated not just salaries, but space, visibility, contracts, and power. They’ll reveal what it looks like to set personal and professional terms, lead with authenticity, and navigate high-stakes conversations without losing themselves in the process. Whether you're seeking your next promotion, making a bold pivot, or learning how to be heard in the rooms that matter, this conversation will equip you with real-world insights and bold strategies to lead your career like the business it is.

The Power of the Pivot: Making Bold Moves When You’ve Already “Made It”

Real Talk Fireside Chat moderated by Shayla N. Atkins

Success is not the end of the journey, it is the beginning of new possibilities. For many executives, reaching the top is not just a milestone; it is a platform for reinvention, redefining what comes next.

In this insightful fireside chat, LaQuenta Jacobs, a trailblazing global HR executive, unpacks the real stories, strategic decisions, and mindset shifts that fueled and empowered her transformative career pivots after she had already “made it.” She will reveal how she navigated transitions, reframed risk, and embraced reinvention while sustaining influence and impact at the highest levels.

Join us to explore:

The key questions every leader should ask before making a pivot
How to reframe risk and recognize opportunity at the executive level
Real-world strategies for transitioning roles, industries, or career paths
The models she used to sustain influence and drive impact through change

True leadership is not just about achieving success, it is about having the courage to redefine it.

Redefining Executive Presence: Leading in Color Executive Fashion Showcase

Edu-tainment

Who says power has to wear navy? Get ready for a celebration of style, substance, and self-expression.

In this vibrant, one-of-a-kind fashion experience, leading image consultant Shaunda Thompson challenges the traditional executive presence mold and celebrates a new era of leadership style, one where individuality, color, and culture can take center stage without sacrificing credibility.

Executive presence and image are more than appearance, they are visual cues of confidence, capability, and authenticity. In today’s competitive landscape, how you show up shapes how you're perceived, trusted, and remembered. This showcase brings that truth to life.

Through bold looks, real stories, and runway moments, this showcase redefines what it means to “look the part.” You’ll see how women in leadership can align their wardrobe with their voice, values, and visibility, and lead with undeniable presence, on their terms.

Because executive presence is not a uniform. It’s a reflection of who YOU are.

Power, Presence, and Poise: Creating an Authentic Executive Image

Interactive Masterclass

Executive presence is not just about how you look, it’s how you lead the room before you even speak. It’s in your voice, posture, energy, and the clarity with which you communicate in every room you enter.

In this transformative masterclass, two boundary-breaking image consultants and CEOs, Kim Roxie and Shaunda Thompson, will guide you through the essential elements of executive presence—from intentional style choices to powerful body language and magnetic personal branding. You’ll learn how to craft an image that reflects not just your role, but your identity, without shrinking, diluting, or conforming.

You’ll explore how to speak with conviction, project confidence through body language, and lead with a presence that feels both powerful and true to you.

You’ll learn how to:

-Project confidence and authority without saying a word

Communicate with clarity, credibility, and calm under pressure

-Align your presence with your values, leadership identity, and career goals

-Use body language, tone, and energy as tools for influence and impact

Whether you’re leading meetings, navigating executive conversations, or preparing for your next big moment, you’ll leave equipped to own your voice, elevate your presence, and lead with unmistakable power and poise.

Thriving with Purpose, Authenticity & Strategy:

Leading with S.P.I.C.E.

Closing Keynote & Masterclass

You’ve checked the boxes. Met the expectations. Climbed the ladder. But deep down, you know leadership was never meant to cost you your peace, your identity, or your purpose.

This keynote and masterclass is a declaration and reclamation of Power. Presence. Possibility.

In this powerful keynote and hands-on masterclass, Shayla N. Atkins, conference creator, global leadership strategist and creator of the Lead with S.P.I.C.E.® framework, invites you to disrupt the outdated model of success and reconnect with the strategy and soul of your leadership.

You’ll explore what it truly means to lead with:

Purpose — anchoring your leadership in values, vision, and clarity
Authenticity — shedding the mask and owning your full presence
Strategy — making intentional, aligned decisions that drive both impact and sustainability

Through real talk, research-backed insights, and transformative reflection, Shayla will walk you through the five pillars of S.P.I.C.E.: Savvy, Performance, Image, Communication, and Exposure and show you how to use them as your leadership power tools, not performance pressures.

This session is part keynote, part personal reset, part strategic roadmap.

You’ll leave not just inspired, but clear, aligned, and equipped to lead boldly without compromising who you are.

thank you to our sponsors and strategic partners