This year’s Take The Lead Power Up Conference promises to be more exciting than ever. Returning to Washington, D.C. on Women’s Equality Day, the conference theme this year is “Audacity: Leadership in Action.” It promises to live up to its name with workshops anchored in Gloria Feldt’s Power Tool strategy and a lineup of 45 outstanding speakers who will inspire attendees to seize their power tools and be audacious to lead change.
On opening night, August 25, at The Square, guests will be welcomed with a reception featuring curated cocktails and conversations with the people they came to meet. They’ll also get a sneak peek at the works on display at the FEMME Art Fair (new this year) and choose from special selections available for pre-purchase to benefit Take The Lead. Special guests, donors, and influential leaders will then enjoy an elevated dining experience and a dinner-time panel, “The Power of the Arts to Change the World,” led by Alyson Palmer of BETTY.
Power Up launches at the Ritz-Carlton on August 26, Women’s Equality Day, kicking off with a fireside chat keynote featuring iconic author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, and Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead. This enlightening conversation will explore the challenges and opportunities for women today. The remainder of the day is packed with seven panels plus interactive breakout sessions built around tools from the 9 Power Tools framework. These breakouts are working sessions, not lectures, with opportunities to roll up your sleeves and get to work with other leaders on changes that support today’s women.
Panel topics range from “The Audacity to Thrive: Women Claiming Midlife Health & Power,” exploring what midlife health actually costs you at work, what to ask for, and how to lead through it instead of around it; to “The Human Advantage: AI Risks, Representation, and Real Solutions,” with a forward-looking exploration of how women can adapt, lead, and thrive in an AI-driven future; and “Young, Bold and Unstoppable: No Seat at the Table? Build One,” featuring young advocates and leaders who are using their voices, networks, and lived experiences to challenge systems and mobilize communities.
This immersive conference also includes a celebration of the 2026 Power Tool Champions, women leaders who have wielded the leadership power tools to break barriers and lead with audacity; the SHEposium, which brings together women’s health, wellness, and lifestyle innovators to connect with attendees seeking holistic solutions and inspiration; and the ongoing Mission Matters podcast conversations happening on the floor throughout the day.
Also new this year is coordination with the Femme Art Fair, which opens with a private preview during the reception and runs through August 30. Femme is a women-centered, activism-driven public art project. It is community in motion with artists, curators, funders, and cultural leaders coming together so women artists get more visibility, more support, and more power. With over 150 artists receiving 100% of art sales revenue, Women Connect4Good is pleased to participate in the matching grant co-sponsoring FEMME along with Women Moving Millions. FEMME is co-created by Our Daughters’ Futures Fund (ODFF) and USAN, two women-led organizations turning vision into action. ODFF Founder, Maggie O’Neill called it “a collaborative moment,” and said, “We will be featuring about four or five filmmakers, authors, and performance art. And so it’s not just visual arts.” Dr. Nancy agreed, saying, “It’s art, activism, and advocacy. When you put those all together—those three A’s—I mean, it really is pretty powerful.”
The closing of the Power Up Conference in 2025 was so much fun that Take The Lead decided to do it again just for fun and to celebrate all that powerful energy. Everyone is welcome to a dance party with the legendary indie group, BETTY. More than a band, BETTY combines activism with entertainment, channeling its unquenchable passion for representation, fairness, and equality with danceable music.
Power Up promises to be as uplifting this year as ever—perhaps even more so, with powerful speakers who embody the Power Tools and Margaret Atwood’s unique vision of fictional dystopias told from a woman’s perspective. And like every year, conference goers will take home usable information, networks of golden opportunities for future collaborations, and power tools for the future.