For women in leadership, there is often an unspoken expectation to keep moving.
Lead the team. Grow the business. Meet the deadline. Support the people around you. Make the decisions. Solve the problems. And somewhere in that very full calendar, perhaps find a little time to take care of yourself too.
This October, an Edmonton event is creating space for women to do something different: step away from the constant demands of leadership long enough to think about where they are going, how they want to lead, and what they want the next chapter of their lives to look like.
Inspire & Awaken 2026 returns to downtown Edmonton October 16 and 17 at The Westin Edmonton.
Now in its third year, the women’s leadership and wellness summit has already welcomed more than 750 women from across Canada. This year’s theme — “It’s Never Too Late” — centres on the idea that ambition, personal growth and well-being don’t have to exist in separate parts of a woman’s life.
Leadership Without Leaving Yourself Behind
Leadership conversations have traditionally focused heavily on performance: productivity, strategy, growth, results and how to get more from ourselves and the people around us.
Those things matter. But they aren’t the whole story.
The reality for many women in leadership is more complicated. You can be successful in your career and still wonder what comes next. You can be confident in the boardroom and uncertain about another part of your life. You can love the business you’ve built while questioning whether the pace you’re maintaining is sustainable.
And you can be ambitious without wanting your entire identity to revolve around your work.
That intersection between leadership and well-being is where Inspire & Awaken is positioning itself.
Rather than asking women to choose between professional ambition and personal wellness, the summit brings the two together through keynote presentations, leadership conversations, opportunities for reflection, wellness experiences and connection with other women.
It’s an approach that feels particularly relevant right now.
The strongest leaders aren’t simply the people capable of carrying the most responsibility. Increasingly, leadership also requires emotional intelligence, self-awareness, resilience, adaptability and an understanding of when something in our lives needs to change.
Sometimes leadership means pushing forward.
Sometimes it means giving yourself enough space to figure out where you’re actually trying to go.
Two Days of Conversations, Connection and Wellness
Across October 16 and 17, Inspire & Awaken will combine traditional conference elements with experiences designed to make the weekend feel less like another professional obligation.
Attendees can expect keynote speakers and leadership conversations alongside opportunities to reflect and reset, curated wellness experiences, access to the Wellness Lounge and plenty of opportunities to connect with other women.
The summit is also intentionally broader than the traditional definition of a “woman in leadership.”
You don’t need CEO, Founder or Executive Director printed underneath your name on LinkedIn to belong in the room.
The event is designed for women who lead businesses and organizations, but also women who lead within their workplaces, communities, families and their own lives. It may be particularly meaningful for women navigating career growth, entrepreneurship, a transition into leadership or simply reaching a point where they’re asking themselves what they want next.
An Impressive Lineup of Women’s Voices
This year’s speaker lineup brings together women from a range of professional and personal backgrounds.
Ally Stone, founder of The Inspired Leader, will serve as keynote speaker and host. She’ll be joined by keynote speakers Bean Gill, Geha Gonthier and Alethea Crimmins.
The broader lineup includes Briana Botsford, Stacey Berger, Lara Thomas, Janell Karst, Mary Tibbetts, Jennifer Scott-Leblanc, Teresa Spinelli, Kat Halushka, Isabel Fry, Gilian Verhey and Edmonton psychologist and entrepreneur Vanessa Iceton, among others.
Rather than presenting leadership solely through corporate theory, the programming is grounded in lived experience and practical conversations about leadership, growth and navigating change.
That distinction matters.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can hear from another successful woman isn’t another five-point strategy for becoming more productive.
It’s hearing that her career wasn’t linear either.
That she changed direction.
That she doubted herself.
That she failed at something.
That success looked different at 45 than she imagined it would at 25.
And that there was still plenty of road ahead.
Seven Hours of Professional Development for CPHR Members
For women working in human resources, people leadership or related professional roles, Inspire & Awaken also offers a significant professional-development benefit.
Attendance at Inspire & Awaken 2026 has been approved for seven Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours through CPHR.
That means attending the summit can contribute toward professional-development requirements while providing an opportunity to explore subjects that increasingly matter in today’s workplaces — leadership, resilience, self-awareness, communication, personal growth and our ability to build meaningful relationships with the people we lead.
It’s an important addition to the summit.
Professional development doesn’t always need to happen in a traditional classroom or through another technical workshop. Some of the most valuable development for leaders comes from stepping outside our usual environments, hearing different perspectives and reflecting on how we show up for the people around us.
For CPHR professionals, Inspire & Awaken offers an opportunity to do both: invest in personal and professional growth while earning seven approved CPD hours in the process.
It’s Never Too Late
That brings us back to this year’s theme.
It’s Never Too Late.
There can be a strange timeline attached to success, particularly for women.
We create imaginary deadlines for starting businesses, changing careers, becoming leaders, travelling, pursuing creative work or finally doing the thing we’ve been quietly thinking about for years.
But careers — and lives — rarely follow tidy timelines.
For someone attending Inspire & Awaken, “It’s Never Too Late” might mean applying for the leadership position they’ve been talking themselves out of.
It could mean starting a business.
Changing industries.
Going back to school.
Setting better boundaries.
Taking their health more seriously.
Mentoring younger women.
Or simply admitting that the version of success they’ve been chasing isn’t the version they want anymore.
That may ultimately be one of the most interesting conversations happening at the summit: not simply “How can I accomplish more?” but “What do I actually want to accomplish now?”
Connection Without the Awkward Networking Event
For many people, the word networking immediately conjures images of name tags, business cards and awkward conversations beside a tray of lukewarm appetizers.
Inspire & Awaken is taking a more organic approach.
Connection is designed throughout the event, including conversations over breakfast, breakout sessions, time in the Wellness Lounge and happy-hour gatherings. The intention is to give women from different industries and stages of life opportunities to meet without making networking feel like another item on the professional-development checklist.
And for women attending alone, that’s worth noting. The experience is designed to make it easier for women to meet and connect once they’re there.
Leadership That Reaches the Next Generation
The summit is also using this year’s gathering to support the next generation of women leaders.
The 2026 charity partner is JA She LEADS, an initiative of JA Northern Alberta that works with young women in Grades 9 through 12 through an 18-week entrepreneurial program. Participants develop businesses while building leadership skills and confidence.
Since Inspire & Awaken began, attendees have helped raise close to $20,000 for local charities.
It’s a fitting connection for an event built around women recognizing what remains possible in their own lives while helping younger women develop that belief earlier.
Inspire & Awaken 2026 Event Details
Inspire & Awaken 2026 – It’s Never Too Late
Dates: October 16–17, 2026
Location: The Westin Edmonton
General Admission: $459 + GST
CPHR Professional Development: 7 approved CPD hours
General admission includes both days of programming, keynote sessions and workshops, wellness experiences, Wellness Lounge access, networking and sponsor activations. Breakfast, lunch and happy-hour appetizers are also included during the two-day summit.
Maybe the Next Chapter Doesn’t Need to Wait
One of the challenges of being a capable woman is that there will almost always be something that needs your attention.
Another project. Another meeting. Another person relying on you. Another reason that now isn’t quite the right time.
Inspire & Awaken offers a different proposition.
Maybe you don’t need to wait until the business is less busy.
Maybe you don’t need to wait until the kids are older.
Maybe you don’t need another promotion, birthday or perfectly timed milestone before deciding what you want next.
Sometimes leadership isn’t about having every answer.
Sometimes it’s about creating enough space to finally ask yourself the right questions.
And perhaps that’s exactly why the message behind Inspire & Awaken 2026 feels so appropriate:
It’s never too late.
For tickets, the complete speaker lineup and additional information about Inspire & Awaken 2026, visit The Inspired Leader – Inspire & Awaken 2026.
