Innovation Women Newsletter #543

December 26, 2025

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YOU'VE LIVED A LIFE

Hi ala,

The yellow padded envelope arrived last week. Inside? A book, "A Few Moments in Time" by Catherine Lawrence. "More tribute?" Asks my husband.

My family jokingly calls the small gifts I occasionally get ‘tribute,’ which makes me laugh. It’s never expected, and it’s never about the thing itself. It’s a reminder that when you build a community, people show up for each other.

Back to the book. Catherine had introduced a group of us to flash nonfiction during a recent Speaker Friend Friday discussion - fully formed short stories. Hers had a strict limit - 100 words to contain a complete story arc. Her book has 100 stories. 100 amazing stories. Opening the book randomly delivers an oxcart ride in Cambodia, teaching public speaking in India and smoking cigars at the bar with her Turkish guide. There are also the more personal stories, a brother lost too early, parental strife and more.

When I work with speakers on signature presentations, either through our Coaching Cohort program, or through my one-on-one coaching, I rarely find a speaker without ideas. The most common situation is that they have way too many ideas...a plethora to choose from. We've gone to school, had jobs, built companies, and, basically, lived lives. Maybe these lives aren't as exciting as Catherine's but we've all done some things.

We still have almost another week before 2026 comes waltzing in the door. Plenty of time to figure out that strategic plan, new presentation or new event. What do you have planned for 2026? Let us know, and let us know how we can help.

Bobbie and the entire Innovation Women team

P.S. Yes, I am hosting Speaker Friend Friday events both today and next week.

SPEAKER FRIEND FRIDAYS

All are welcome!

Join us today (and every Friday) at 8:45 am ET for Speaker Friend Fridays on Zoom. You can also join us for West Coast Friendly Speaker Friends on the first Friday and third Friday of each month at noon ET/9:00 am PT. Click the links below to RSVP and add the recurring links to your calendar. (Everyone is welcome at these events. Bring a friend, even if they aren't a member.) Event organizers? You're welcome too!

GET MORE SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

We’re here to help you find EVEN MORE speaking opportunities.

Join Innovation Women founder and Speaker Friend Fridays host Bobbie Carlton, an industry veteran who has spent decades getting executives and experts onto high-visibility stages.

We've been getting so much great feedback on our "Get More Speaking Opportunities" webinars that Bobbie took it as a personal challenge. She keeps adding EVEN MORE strategies to find and secure speaking opportunities to her presentations. You’ll get insider secrets and insights you can use immediately.

You know how speaking can drive business growth and dramatically boost your professional visibility, but do you know:

• What event managers, podcast hosts, and media are really looking for in speakers?
• How Innovation Women connects women and other underrepresented voices with speaking opportunities of all kinds?
• Ways you can uncover opportunities most others miss?

Plus, you’ll get a live tour of the Innovation Women speaking opportunity database, a look at our educational resources, and an introduction to our supportive online community.

Whether you’re just getting started or ready to expand your impact, this session will show you how to access EVEN MORE opportunities, amplify your voice, and step confidently onto even more stages.

Where other organizations stop short of delivering the real goods, Innovation Women always gives you the inside scoop.

Please join us: Tuesday, January 13 at 12:00 pm ET

UPCOMING INNOVATION WOMEN WEBINARS

What’s in Your Lifeboat? Moving from Scarcity to Abundance and Surviving Dark Times

Featuring Dr. Joy Wiggins

January 7, 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Women are living through a moment defined by uncertainty—global instability, shrinking protections, burnout, and an economy that keeps shifting under our feet. Scarcity thinking naturally rises in these moments: fear of losing relevance, opportunity, or security. In that headspace, women often turn on themselves or each other.

This fireside chat reframes that instinct. Using the lifeboat metaphor drawn from her book From Sabotage to Support and her Cultural Agility work, Dr. Joy will explore how women can resource themselves differently—how to choose what gets thrown out, what stays, and who they want in the boat as they navigate dark waters. The conversation will show that abundance is not a mindset alone; it’s a practice that transforms how we lead, collaborate, and support one another.

The Portfolio Mindset Advantage: Leveraging Multiple Passions for Maximum Impact,

Featuring Jessica Tudos

January 21, 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET

Ambitious women innovators don’t need to choose between careers, passions, or skills—they can strategically leverage them all to build resilient, sustainable, and creative careers in complex times. This interactive session, led by Olympian-turned-life design strategist, speaker, and edupreneur Jessica Tudos, introduces the Portfolio Mindset—a framework for transforming diverse skills and passions into strategic advantage.

Through storytelling, reflection, and practical exercises, participants will learn:

• How to map their strengths, align passions with opportunities, and navigate non-linear paths with confidence.
• Actionable strategies to accelerate innovation, maximize impact, and design careers and lives that are unique to each person.

LIONESS MAGAZINE FEATURES

Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Get the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. This week you can read great articles like:

• 11 Size-inclusive Fashion Gifts From Women-owned Businesses and Female Entrepreneurs 
• Email Newsletter Tips That Actually Move the Needle

January Lioness Networking: Finding and Being a Mentor

Tuesday January 13, 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET

Looking for guidance? You don’t have to do it alone.

At this month’s Lioness Networking, we’re talking about mentorship: how to find it, how to offer it and how to learn from one another. Build a strong network of support for the new year!

SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

Every week our speakers get brand new opportunities and there are even more on our website. There are hundreds of open opportunities on the site right now and we added more than 80 new ones this week! Below are some of the NEW opportunities:

1. Future of Work APAC 2026 November 1, 2026 Singapore Deadline 8/1/2026 - Human Resources
2. VSAE 2026 AMC Summit July 13-14, 2026 Newport News, VA Deadline 2/27/2026 - Management Consulting
3. The Stone + Technology Expo In Canada 2026 May 6 - 8, 2026 Mississauga, ON Deadline 2/6/2026 - Building Materials
4. 2026 Adhesives and Bonding Conference June 23 - 25, 2026 Novi, MI Deadline 2/13/2026 - Adhesive and Sealant
5. AI5050 2026 March 31, 2026 Brussels, Belgium Deadline 12/31/2025 - Information Technology and Services



Get hundreds of opportunities like these, a profile on our site, education and more for only $159/year!