FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 | The Umstead Hotel & Spa

The WALTER team is thrilled to return to The Umstead Hotel & Spa for our annual WINnovation summit, celebrating women in innovation, leadership, diversity and the entrepreneurial spirit. For a sample of what you’ll find at WINnovation, watch this video.

WINnovation 2025 Speakers

Learn more about our WINnovation 2025 speakers here!

Schedule of Events

4:00 p.m. | Startup Workshops

Guests participate in one of three workshops led by area career coaches and entrepreneurs. 

5:30 p.m. | Cocktails & Networking

Over wine and hors d’oeuvres, guests connect with each other and share their insights.

6:30 p.m. | Dinner & Program

While the speakers share their stories, guests enjoy a three-course dinner. Over dessert, guests can participate in a Q&A.

2025 Workshops

Your Hormones Aren’t Broken — You’re Just in Transition
Led by Dr. Susan Lovelle, Physician and Executive Performance Strategist, Balanced Performance  

Lovelle is a former award-winning plastic surgeon known as The Thrive Architect who helps high-performing executives reclaim energy, clarity and resilience without burning out. What if your brain fog, weight gain or emotional swings weren’t signs of personal failure, but rather normal shifts that no one showed you how to handle? Lovelle demystifies the hormone changes that occur in midlife and shows professional women how to harness their body’s natural transitions as fuel for innovation, leadership and renewed vitality.

Whole, Wise and Worthy: The New Standard of Leadership
Led by Cheryl D. Gould, CEO of Cheryl Gould Consulting and VP of Human Resources for a national nonprofit

With over 25 years in HR and leadership, Gould helps small businesses and mission-driven leaders grow through people-first practices. Stepping into your full self isn’t just good for your well-being — it’s a power move. Too many women leaders spend years performing success: saying yes when they want to say no, overdelivering to prove their value and leading with half of who they really are. Gould invites you to challenge the pressure to perform and push women to embrace their leadership identity from the inside out. 

Living With More Joy
Led by Nicole Henderson-Benach, Motivational Speaker & Author

With over two decades of heart-centered leadership experience, Henderson-Benach remains dedicated to helping women live their best lives. In this workshop she shares her proprietary Take5 technique that quickly gets you unstuck in any situation. Imagine the fight-or-flight feeling vanishing, while endless possibilities flow easily to you while your stress melts away. Open your heart to more moments of joy without any hesitation.

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WORKSHOP SPONSORS