Registration Open

Professional Development Workshops — Session A (Attendance: 50/workshop)

Inclusive Pathways: Tackling Workforce Challenges for Underrepresented Groups

This interactive workshop is designed to address the unique challenges minority groups encounter in the workforce. Participants will engage in collaborative discussions, share personal experiences, and explore actionable strategies for fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. By leveraging diverse perspectives and innovative problem-solving techniques, this workshop will empower attendees to identify practical solutions that promote equality, representation, and career growth for underrepresented groups. Participants will leave with a toolkit of strategies to drive meaningful change and build a more equitable workforce culture.

Presenter: LaSheita Sayer, Founder, Executive Director, Women Who Charge

Navigating Difficult Conversations

Delivering difficult news, sharing constructive feedback, or responding to a frustrated colleague or client can be a source of stress in your workday. Communicating confidently requires preparation and skill, both of which come with practice. In this workshop, we’ll confront the source of our uncomfortable feelings and introduce strategies on how to:

• Better understand your audience.
• Center empathy and listening to enhance your efficacy.
• Deliver information clearly and concisely.

 Presenter: Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Founder, Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting

Your Brain Can Be a Real A-hole: Overcoming Self-Sabotage for Career Success

Your brain is a master manipulator - whispering doubts, fueling procrastination, and convincing you that you’re not ready, not qualified, and not good enough. Sound familiar? The truth is, your brain isn’t broken - it’s just wired for survival, not success. But that “protection” comes at the cost of your growth and potential. In this high-energy, no-BS session, we’ll break down the neuroscience of self-sabotage and expose the mental traps that hold you back. You’ll learn how to rewire your brain for confidence and action with science-backed strategies and powerful brain hacks. Walk away ready to silence your inner critic, ditch self-doubt, and finally get out of your own way.

Presenter: Jamie Lewis Smith, Chief Executive Officer and Leadership Psychologist, Pixel Leadership Group

Caring for the Caregiver

This workshop addresses the challenges of caregiving while balancing work and home life. Brea Schmidt will discuss the overwhelming nature of caregiving (of all kinds) and the difficulty in prioritizing self-care and relationships. It's important for caregivers to embrace imperfection, release guilt and seek community support. The conversation is not just for parents and caregivers, but also for those who work with, lead, or support them, aiming to foster better understanding and advocacy for working caregivers.

Presenter: Brea Schmidt, Keynote Speaker and Writer, The Thinking Branch

Afternoon Networking Break

Professional Development Workshops – Session B (Attendance: 50/workshop) Same options as above 

Reception

Breakfast and Registration

Welcome and Award Presentation

Opening Session: An Interview With Laureen Meroeh

Laureen Meroueh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hertha Metals 
Jennifer Betts, Chief Executive Officer, Magnar Metals

Morning Networking Break

Steel Industry Panel Discussion

Lunch

What About You? Embracing Self-Care as a Professional Business Tool and Not Just a Buzzword

This reflective and interactive session explores the challenges of balancing mental wellness with the demands of our personal and professional lives. Brea Schmidt will share her journey of finding self-care amid her entrepreneurial path and will encourage honest conversation about embracing vulnerability, identifying personalized self-care, and using community support to achieve joy and fulfillment in all areas of life. The session aims to reflect on the pressures we face in modern society and prioritize mental well-being. 

Presenter: Brea Schmidt, Keynote Speaker and Writer, The Thinking Branch

Afternoon Networking Break

Breakout Sessions

Four topic-specific Breakout Sessions, each accommodating up to 50 participants, will be held concurrently during this time slot. Individuals who do not select a specific Breakout Session will attend the General Session. 

General Session
The Bullsh*t We Tell Ourselves: A Wake-Up Call for Authentic Living

We’re all in marketing, whether we realize it or not. Every conversation, every post, every room we walk into — we’re telling the world who we are. The question is: are we telling the truth?

We all carry stories — little lies we tell ourselves to stay comfortable, quiet and playing small.

“I can’t say that.”
“They wouldn’t get it.”
“This version of me is more palatable.”

Sound familiar? This keynote cuts through the noise and calls out the bullsh*t we use to protect ourselves from judgment, rejection or simply standing out. It’s a wake-up call to stop performing and start leading with who you actually are. Because when you drop the act, you don’t just show up — you stand out. And in a world full of noise, real is your most powerful marketing strategy.

Presenter: Iris Goldfeder, Founder, GasStoveCreative

Asking For What You Need: Negotiating With Confidence

Have you ever considered asking for a promotion or more resources for your office, then quickly talked yourself out of it? What held you back? Effectively advocating and negotiating could have a lasting impact on achieving your goals and improving your organization's sustainability. In this session, you’ll reflect on the barriers preventing you from asking for what you need. You’ll create a plan to make your “ask” and learn to communicate confidently and negotiate effectively. 

Presenter: Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Founder, Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting

Reception

Breakfast

Lighten Your Load: How to Stop the Cycle of Overwhelming Ownership

Do you feel like you’re constantly juggling a million responsibilities — at work, at home and everywhere in between? Women professionals often take on an invisible, exhausting burden: not just doing their jobs, but also anticipating others’ needs, doing things for others they could do themselves, shouldering the emotional burden, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Whether it’s coordinating meetings, keeping track of deadlines (yours and everyone else’s), managing work projects, or handling household logistics, the mental load feels endless. Not only does this overload you, but you also unintentionally disempower and discourage others, creating a self-fulfilling loop that ultimately burns you out. 

In this fun, interactive session, we’ll uncover why women feel pressured to “do it all,” how this impacts career growth and well-being, and — most importantly — how to break free from the cycle. Using psychology-backed strategies and brain-based neuro-hacks, you’ll learn how to spot the invisible mental load that’s draining your energy, delegate with confidence (without guilt or micromanaging), and build boundaries that actually stick. We’ll bust the myth that doing more equals being more valuable and challenge the “Superwoman Syndrome” that keeps you trapped in over-responsibility. Most importantly, you’ll gain tools to shift from carrying the weight of responsibility to empowering those around you — whether colleagues, direct reports or family members — to step up and share the load. It’s time to rewire your brain, reclaim your time and create space for what truly matters!

Presenter: Jamie Lewis Smith, Chief Executive Officer and Leadership Psychologist, Pixel Leadership Group

Morning Networking Break

Steel Industry Panel Discussion

Lunch

Prize Drawings

Steel Industry Panel Discussion

Afternoon Networking Break

Keynote Presentation

Adjourn