Connection • Entrepreneurship • Leadership • Growth
Connect & Thrive
Women’s Conference™
“Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers”
Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple 🍎 — Official venue details and early ticket access will be announced to the RSVP list first.
Online
CTWC Fireside Chat
Coming Spring 2027New York City
Annual Connect & Thrive Conference
Spring 2027 • In-Person + LivestreamWhy We Gather
Our Mission
The Connect & Thrive Women’s Conference empowers ambitious women, entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, and emerging leaders to build bridges, break barriers, and pursue personal, professional, and entrepreneurial growth through meaningful connections, valuable resources, and actionable insights.
We believe meaningful connections create opportunities. By bringing women together across different industries, professions, businesses, and stages of their journeys, Connect & Thrive creates an environment where ideas are shared, relationships are built, knowledge is exchanged, and new opportunities can flourish.
Our goal is to create a welcoming space where women can learn from one another, access valuable resources, gain practical insights, and build the confidence and connections needed to advance their personal, professional, and entrepreneurial goals.
The Experience
About the Event
Join us for the annual Connect & Thrive Women’s Conference—a dynamic experience designed to bring women together for connection, learning, inspiration, and growth.
The experience begins with the CTWC Fireside Chat, a virtual event featuring meaningful conversations with accomplished women leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals while introducing attendees to the Connect & Thrive community.
The annual conference brings together ambitious women, entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, and emerging leaders for practical insights, honest conversations, meaningful connections, and access to valuable resources.
Through keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, interactive conversations, networking opportunities, and curated experiences, attendees explore topics including entrepreneurship and business growth, funding and financial readiness, leadership and professional development, emerging technology, wellness and resilience, and the relationships that help create new opportunities.
Connect & Thrive is designed to give women the knowledge, perspectives, resources, and connections they can use to move forward personally, professionally, and entrepreneurially.
What You’ll Experience
Event Highlights
A one-day experience designed to balance focused keynote guidance, diverse panel perspectives, emerging voices, meaningful connection, and opportunities that continue beyond the stage.
From Start to Scale: Building a Business That Grows
Hear firsthand lessons from an accomplished founder who has built and grown a business from the ground up. This keynote explores the real decisions, challenges, setbacks, and turning points involved in attracting early clients, securing funding, increasing revenue, strengthening operations, overcoming growth barriers, and preparing a business for long-term growth.
Attendees will leave with practical insights drawn from real entrepreneurial experience that they can apply as they build, strengthen, and grow their own businesses.
Leadership & Career Growth
Hear firsthand insight from an accomplished leader who has navigated professional growth, increasing responsibility, career transitions, leadership challenges, and barriers to advancement. This keynote explores the decisions, pivotal moments, challenges, and opportunities that shape a woman’s professional journey.
Attendees will gain practical perspective on advancing their careers, stepping into greater leadership, navigating change, increasing their professional visibility and influence, and creating new opportunities at different stages of their careers.
Funding Your Future
Gain practical insights into funding opportunities, financial planning, investor readiness, and strategies for accessing capital to support business growth.
AI & the Future of Business
Explore how women entrepreneurs and professionals can use AI thoughtfully to improve productivity, strengthen operations, reach customers, make better decisions, and compete in an increasingly AI-driven marketplace.
Health, Wellness & Resilience
A multidisciplinary conversation led by licensed and credentialed health professionals focused on women’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, including preventive care, mental health, nutrition, physical health, burnout prevention, resilience, recovery, hormonal health, sleep, and sustaining long-term health and well-being.
Trailblazing Entrepreneurs
In partnership with Camp S.W.A.G., two high school female entrepreneurs take the stage for individual 15-minute founder spotlights—sharing their businesses, inspiration, lessons learned, challenges, and what they hope to build next.
Connect & Thrive Connection Program
Participation is optional. Attendees may share information about their professional interests, business interests, and goals to help facilitate meaningful introductions and connections with other participants.
Networking Reception
Continue the conversation beyond the formal program through speaker access, business conversations, facilitated networking opportunities, and community-building connections.
Conversations That Matter
Panel Discussions & Q&A
Panels bring together different voices and areas of expertise so attendees can hear multiple perspectives on the issues shaping their businesses, careers, health, and future opportunities.
“Funding Your Future” Financial Panel
Learn from experts about funding opportunities, financial readiness, planning, investor preparation, and strategies for accessing capital to support business growth.
AI & the Future of Business Panel
Hear different perspectives on practical AI use, productivity, marketing, operations, customer experience, privacy, risk, and where human judgment still matters most.
Health, Wellness & Resilience Panel
Hear from licensed and credentialed professionals across women’s health, mental health, nutrition, and physical health as they share practical guidance on preventing burnout, supporting resilience and recovery, maintaining well-being, and protecting long-term health while navigating demanding careers, businesses, leadership responsibilities, and life.
Next Generation Voices
Trailblazing Entrepreneurs
Two high school female entrepreneurs take the stage individually, giving attendees an opportunity to hear directly from young women who are already turning ideas into businesses and learning what entrepreneurship looks like in the real world.
15-Minute Founder Spotlight
A young entrepreneur shares her business, inspiration, lessons learned, challenges, and what she hopes to build next.
15-Minute Founder Spotlight
A second young entrepreneur brings her own perspective, business story, emerging leadership, and entrepreneurial journey to the stage.
Beyond the Stage
Additional Experiences
Curated Meals
Enjoy a light breakfast and lunch, creating natural opportunities for conversation, networking, and connection throughout the day.
Women Entrepreneurs Marketplace & Exhibitor Showcase
Discover women-owned businesses alongside a curated selection of products, services, organizations, and resources relevant to attendees.
Awards & Recognition
Celebrate outstanding contributions to women’s and children’s causes, honoring individuals and organizations making a lasting impact.
The Community Continues
Connect at the Conference.
Continue in THE LADY’Z CIRCLE™.
Connect & Thrive brings women together for meaningful conversations, professional connections, shared ideas, and new relationships. THE LADY’Z CIRCLE™ gives those connections somewhere to go next.
The year-round membership community of The Lady’z Lounge continues the experience through curated introductions, smaller Circle groups, professional-development experiences, and local gatherings in active communities.
Join before Connect & Thrive. Arrive already connected. Continue together afterward.
Explore THE LADY’Z CIRCLE™Become Part of the Experience
Connect.
Contribute.
Be Seen.
Connect & Thrive offers intentional ways for businesses, organizations, speakers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to contribute to the conference experience, build meaningful relationships, and increase their visibility with an engaged audience.
Sponsor
Align your organization with the Connect & Thrive experience and connect with an engaged audience of professional women, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and emerging voices.
Sponsor NowWhy Sponsor Connect & Thrive?
- Spotlight Local Talent & Nationwide Reach: Align your brand with a conference that celebrates and elevates local voices while expanding your presence to a national digital audience.
- Exceptional Visibility: Reach professional women, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and virtual participants through the in-person conference and livestream.
- Meaningful Engagement: Connect with attendees in a high-profile environment designed around conversation, resources, and relationship-building.
- Sponsorship Benefits: Brand exposure across marketing channels and livestream call-outs, VIP networking opportunities, and customizable sponsorship packages.
Exhibit
Bring your business, products, services, and resources directly to attendees through the Women Entrepreneurs Marketplace & Exhibitor Showcase.
Partner With UsMore About Exhibiting
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, organization, or brand looking to connect with an influential community, the conference creates opportunities for visibility, networking, and meaningful engagement.
Speak
Bring expertise, real-world experience, and meaningful conversation to the Connect & Thrive stage as a keynote or panel speaker. Speaker candidates must complete the official application to be considered.
Apply to SpeakSpeaker Focus Areas
The opening keynote, “From Start to Scale: Building a Business That Grows,” will provide practical strategies for entrepreneurs at every stage of business growth, including attracting clients, accessing funding, increasing revenue, overcoming growth challenges, strengthening business foundations, and positioning a business for long-term success.
A featured keynote will focus on leadership and professional growth. Panel speakers will bring expertise and real-world perspectives related to financial readiness and funding, AI and the future of business, and women’s health, wellness, and resilience.
Ambassador
Help create a welcoming and engaging attendee experience through community outreach, attendee connection, and moderated conversations throughout the conference.
Apply to Become an AmbassadorAmbassador Opportunities
We are seeking passionate women who believe in the power of entrepreneurship, community, and meaningful connections. Ambassadors help support attendee engagement, foster connections, promote conference awareness, and create a positive conference experience.
- Community Ambassadors: Support attendee engagement, networking activities, and conference outreach.
- Moderator Ambassadors: Facilitate panel discussions, guide audience engagement, and help create meaningful conversations throughout the conference.
- Selected Ambassadors receive: Complimentary conference admission, networking reception access, VIP hospitality opportunities, professional visibility, and opportunities to connect with fellow ambassadors, entrepreneurs, speakers, and business leaders.
CTWC 2027 RSVP
Stay Connected to CTWC 2027
RSVP for conference updates and be among the first to receive ticket information, venue announcements, and important Connect & Thrive updates.
Spring 2027 • New York City • In-Person + Livestream
Connect With Us
Have Questions?
For more information on the Connect & Thrive Women’s Conference, please contact our conference team.
Leon-Claude Hobson-Coard
Project Managing Director, The Lady’z Lounge
Email: Contact Leon-Claude
Phone: (213) 290-6359
Speaker Inquiries: Individuals interested in being considered as a speaker must complete the Speaker Application. Speaker candidates who do not complete the application will not be considered.
