After a successful 2022 debut, the 2024 Well Defined Women in Leadership Summit will take place January 23, 2024, at Fete, The Venue in Costa Mesa, CA. Gathering women from all walks of the wellness world, this powerful all-day event will highlight inspiring speakers who will focus on a host of topics, including burnout, networking, empathetic leadership, and more. Here’s a glimpse at the speakers and the engaging sessions you’ll experience:
Brenda Helps, an executive recruiter for Hutchinson Consulting and a longtime HR guru, has been helping candidates find their ideal roles for most of her career. In her interactive session, The Secret to Standing Out, she will share how to create a compelling executive resume and provide tips for standing out from the rest. She will also reveal how to ace an executive interview and negotiate the best package. The session will include a Q&A at the end, and Helps will be available throughout the day during the event showcases where attendees can connect in person, ask for advice, and even bring their resumes to add to the Hutchinson database to be alerted about future opportunities that might be a fit.
Beate Chelette, growth architect, founder, and business strategist, will lead a session on Growing Your Authority: Enhancing the Skills You Need to Thrive. “One of the easiest traps to fall into, whether you are a business owner, entrepreneur, founder, or seasoned business professional, is finding yourself spending your valuable time reacting all day,” says Chelette. “Instead of planning the day, the events happening around you determine what gets your attention. When you continually react instead of being deliberate and intentional, staying focused on your ultimate goals becomes almost impossible.”
Sharing her expert insights on women’s health concerns, Dr. Tamika Henry, M.D., a functionally trained physician and founder of Unlimited Health Institute, will lead a session on Optimizing Wellness for Women Leaders: A Functional Approach. “As a wife, mom, and physician, I can relate to the multitude of stressors that can hit a person on a daily basis,” says Henry. “I understand that my patients are searching for more hours in a day to accomplish everything that is set before them. Functional medicine helped me to learn that the best way to be happy and healthy is to stop being reactive to life and start being proactive.”
Dr. Zoe Shaw, Psy.D., a psychotherapist, relationship and life coach, and podcast host, will tackle the topic of burnout, a growing problem in the workplace, in a session titled: Banishing Burnout with Boundaries. “Burnout is real, and it’s not pretty,” says Shaw. “It happens when we reach the end of our emotional tether. Burnout is entirely preventable if we are intentional about creating and maintaining healthy boundaries.”
Understanding the importance of networking, Corey Spiegel, founder of Light House, a women’s networking organization, will lead a session on Why You Need a Board of Directors in Your Personal Life. “Every woman deserves to have community of supporters and a safe space to engage in honest, and sometimes challenging discussions about career paths, personal growth, mental health, relationships, beauty, and wellbeing among other key issues,” says Spiegel. “Human connection is not only powerful, it’s necessary. It means laughter, support, validation, unbridled emotion. It is the relationship formed through common bonds, areas of interest, values, and shared experiences with real people.”
And because we could all benefit from slowing down and being a bit more mindful, Sandy Abrams, founder C.E.Om Breath & Mindset Experiences will lead a 15-minute session: Breathe Better, Feel Better. “We take more than 20,000 breaths every day, and most of those are done on auto pilot,” says Abrams. “When you add in mindful breathing practices in small moments throughout the day, you can relieve stress, think more clearly, feel calm and empowered, digest better, boost your immune system, and sleep better. The bottom line is if you breathe better, you feel better.”
“Our first Well Defined Women in Leadership Summit resonated with so many attendees,” says Well Defined co-founder Julie Keller Callaghan. “Countless women—and a few men—walked away feeling inspired, supported, and rejuvenated by the sisterhood. It’s so clear to me that bringing women together to learn and network is always a fruitful endeavor. I’m so pleased that we can bring back this special day and plan to make it even more spectacular the second time around.”
With plenty of opportunities to network, the summit will feature a lunch and celebratory cocktail party. It will also welcome women from all areas of the wellness industry, including:
- Spa owners, directors, executives, estheticians, cosmetologists, and massage therapists
- Salon owners, directors, and stylists
- Wellness brand founders and team members
- Corporate wellness administrators and human resource directors
- Nutrition, health, and wellness coaches
- Functional and integrative medicine professionals
- Wellness travel agents and wellness tourism experts
- Meeting and event planners
- Fitness facility owners, managers, instructors, and more
- Wellness real estate executives and team members
- Wellness publicists and marketing and communications specialists
- And more
“Hustle culture and toxic productivity have become mainstays in everyday life,” says co-founder Heather Mikesell. “Wellness, specifically self-care, is often touted as a cure-all. However, it has become increasingly evident that we need to rethink wellness as we know it. It’s time to delve deeper to learn how to create a culture that promotes true wellbeing. This summit is an opportunity to gather with women to promote the evolution of wellness in the industry and in our own lives as we navigate our personal and professional growth.”
The debut event was met with an overwhelming positive response:
“Bringing all these amazing women together after so long was such a special treat. Combine that with a lineup of powerful speakers sharing their knowledge and wisdom and reminding us of why we do what we do for the spa and wellness industry was the best kickoff for spring 2022. Grateful to be reconnected and part of this women in wellness tribe.”—Joanne Berry, founder, Wellness Education Hub
“Great day of inspiring education on financial wellness, social intelligence, moving beyond fear, women’s health, and claiming your power in the workplace. The Women in Leadership Summit was powerful and exceptional.”—Jill Carlen, founder, Carlen Creative Global Consulting
“What a truly amazing event. The speakers were phenomenal, and the content was incredibly valuable to this ever-changing world. We loved meeting so many of the other attendees, great women who were kind and open and came from such high-end destinations and offerings. Well Defined also created so many moments that cultivated community and created space to meet new contacts! For the entire event, every touch point was thoughtful and well planned.”—Tracy Brown, founder, Priya Apotheca
The W/D WIL Summit is scheduled to take place January 23 at Fete, The Venue, in Costa Mesa, CA. Tickets start at $325 and provide access to influential speakers, networking, a lunch and closing cocktail party, and a gift bag.
To register for the Well Defined Women in Leadership Summit, sign up here.
